/,  1/ 


/ 


CHILD    LIFE 

IN   MANY   LANDS 

A  THIRD  READER 

BT 

ETTA  AUSTIN  BLAISDELL 
MARY   FRANCES   BLAISDELL 

AUTHORS  OF  **  CHILD  LIFE,"  "  CHILD  LIFE  IN  TALE  AKD 
FABLE,"   AND   "  CHILD  LIFE  IN  LITERATURE" 


THE   MACMILLAN   COMPANY 

LONDON:  MACMILLAN  &  CO.,  Ltd. 
1911 


Copyright,  1900, 

By  the  macmillan  company. 

Set  up  and  electrotyped  June,  1900.     Reprinted  November 
XQoo;  June,  looi  ;  January,  1902;  April.  1903;  January, July, 
1904  ;  March,  1905  ;  February,  October,  1906;  July,  1907; 
February,  1908  ;  February,  September,  1909  ;  July,  1910; 
January,  igii. 


PREFACE 

This  book,  the  third  in  the  Child  Life  series,  has  been 
prepared  with  the  purpose  of  adding  interest  to  the  drill 
necessary  in  learning  to  read,  of  stimulating  an  interest 
in  the  child  life  of  many  lands  and  the  habits  and  customs 
of  the  children  of  many  nations,  and  of  broadening  the 
field  of  literature  for  the  pupils. 

As  soon  as  children  have  mastered  the  mechanical  de- 
tails of  reading,  their  chief  effort  should  be  given  to  the 
work  of  reading  intelligently,  for  on  this  depends  their 
school-work  and  their  fund  of  general  information  in 
later  years.  It  is  hoped  that  these  lessons  will  be  espe- 
cially valuable  in  cultivating  this  power. 

The  stories  in  this  book  are  either  founded  on  historic 
fact,  or  selected  from  the  classic  literature  of  the  different 
countries ;  and  the  poems  have  been  chosen  for  their  liter- 
ary merit,  many  of  them  being  well  worth  learning  by 
heart. 

Attention  is  called  to  the  notes  and  vocabulary  at  the 
end  of  the  book,  both  of  which  should  be  of  value  to  the 
pupils. 


341599 


NOTE   TO    TEACHERS 

^'  Child  Life  in  Many  Lands "  contains  lessons  about 
the  life  and  customs  in  foreign  countries,  which  are 
supplemented  by  stories,  myths,  and  tales. 

Each  selection  has  been  prepared  with  a  definite  pur- 
pose,—  to  introduce  the  pupil  to  the  children  of  other 
lands,  to  lead  him  to  compare  the  myths  and  tales  of 
different  nations,  and  to  emphasize  the  distinctive  charac- 
teristics of  a  country ;  always  with  the  underlying  thought 
of  teaching  him  to  read  intelligently. 

In  order  that  these  ends  may  be  accomplished  the 
teacher  should  ask  questions  about  the  lesson  that  has 
been  read,  require  definite  answers  and  concise  state- 
ments, ask  for  short  written  accounts  of  a  part  of  the 
lesson,  have  the  story  told  and  written  briefly,  call  atten- 
tion to  the  salient  points  of  each  lesson,  teach  the  pupils 
to  select  important  facts;  in  short,  teach  them  to  read  so 
that  the  contents  of  a  geography  or  history  will  be  to 
them  more  than  idle  words. 

The  notes  should  be  read  by  the  pupils  both  before  and 
after  the  lessons,  and  the  vocabulary  should  be  used  con- 
stantly for  pronunciation  and  definition.  Children  cannot 
learn  too  soon  to  depend  on  themselves  for  these  essentials. 

4 


CONTENTS 


Child  Life  in  Colonial  Days • 

An  Old-Fashioned  School  ....     Nathaniel  Hawthorne 14 

The  Child's  World W.  B.  Rands 21 

The  Jack-o'-Lantern 22 

Song William  Shakespeare 25 

Two  Brass  Kettles 26 

Boston  Boys  of  1776 \ 29 

Elizabeth  Zane 32 

To  a  Child William  Wordsworth 35 

The  Land  of  Story  Books  ....     Robert  Louis  Stevenson      ....  36 

The  Land  of  Nod Robert  Louis  Stevenson      ....  38 

The  Pine-Tree  Shillings     .     »     .     .    Nathaniel  Hawthorne 39 

Song  from  "  Pippa  Passes "...    Robert  Browning 43 

Indian  Children 44 

Pocahontas 49 

Seven  Times  Four Jean  Ingelow 52 

The  North  Wind  and  the  Duck 54 

Why  the  Mole  is  Blind       .59 

The  Northern  Seas Mary  Howitt 63 

The  Last  Lesson  in  French    .     .     .    Alphonse  Daudet      ....    o    .  65 

Licident  of  the  French  Camp     .     .     Robert  Browning     ......  71 

The  Christmas  Gift  c 74 

Diamonds  and  Toads      .....     Charles  Perrault 79 

5 


WA&E 

1  Remember,  I  Remember      ...     Thomas  Hood .84 

Boys  and  Girls  of  Holland 86 

The  Leak  in  the  Dike 90 

The  Storks Hans  Christian  Andersen      ...     96 

The  Sea Barry  Cornwall 103 

Easter  in  Germany 105 

The  Flax Hans  Christian  A  ndersen      .     .     .  Ill 

The  Little  Fir  Tree Hans  Christian  Andersen       .     .     .119 

Mother  HoUe William  Grimm 129 

The  Straw,  the  Coal  and  the  Bean  .     William  Grimm   .......  137 

Fairy  Folk •    .     .     William  Allingham       141 

Boys  and  Girls  of  Japan 144 

The  DoU  Festival 149 

The  Flag  Festival 153 

The  Ape  and  the  Crab «...  157 

The  Frog  Travellers 160 

A  Chinese  School 165 

Dick  Whittington » 169 

Notes 184 

Vocabulary 188 


KEY  TO  PRONUNCIATION 


S,  as  in 

made 

a      " 

rat 

a      " 

ask 

a      « 

far 

a    " 

an 

a      " 

care 

a     " 

above 

g  as  in 

me 

g      " 

let 

e     " 

her 

e     " 

hundred 

1  as  in 

ride 

1      " 

pm 

1      " 

fir 

y  " 

fly 

7    " 

pretty 

0  as  m 

old 

0       " 

on 

6      " 

love 

0       " 

move 

6     " 

f6r 

9     '' 

parlor 

u  as  in 

use 

VL        " 

cup 

u      " 

full 

00  as  in  boot 

00 


foot 


9 

as  m 

miQe 

n 

u 

bank 

g 

u 

cage 

? 

ii 

eyeg 

CHILD  LIFE  11^  MAITY  LAIRDS 

A  THIED   KBADER 


CHILD  LIFE  IN  COLONIAL  DAYS 


yarn 

wo'v^n 

de  pen 'ding 

flax 

es  tab'lish^d 

mag  a  zine' 

cab'm 

CO  lo'ni  ^1 

ti'thmg-man 

Many  boys  en- 
joy  spending 
their  holidays  in 
the  woods  and 
fields,  building 
tents  and  camps,  rowing  and  paddling  about  in 
the  streams,  fishing,  or  playing  among  the  rocks. 
Sometimes  they  even  live  for  a  few  days  in  the 
woods,  building  huts,  catching  fish,  picking  ber- 
ries, and  cooking  their  own  food. 

Do  they  ever  think,  I  wonder,  that  many,  many 
years  ago  their  great-great-grandfathers  lived  in 
this  way  from  necessity  ? 


^  10  9t- 


When  tlie  Pilgrims  came  to  this  country  there 
were  no  houses,  no  churches,  no  schools  and  no 
shops.  Each  man  had  to  build  his  own  home, 
make  a  part  of  his  furniture,  raise  his  crops,  hunt 

and  fish. 

The  first  houses 
were  built  of  logs, 
the  cracks  were  filled 
with  mud,  and  the 
windows  were  made 
of  oiled  paper.  There 
was  no  paper  on  the 
walls,  and  the  floors 
were  covered  with 
clean,  dry  sand. 
There  were  no  stoves. 
A  huge  fireplace,  so 
large  that  seats  were 
placed  in  it  beside 
the  fire,  took  up  one  side  of  the  room,  and  the 
kettles  for  cooking  were  hung  over  the  blazing 
logs. 

The  only  light  at  night  was  given  by  candles 
which  were  made  by  hand. 


-»8  11  9e- 

Flax  was  raised,  spun,  and  woven  into  linen 
cloth ;  sheep  furnished  wool  for  woollen  cloth, 
and  for  the  yarn  which  was  knit  into  stockings. 

The  children  had  little  time  for  playing  games, 
and  they  had  very  few  toys.  The  girls  had  rude 
dolls  made  of  wood  or  rags,  and  the  boys  had 
kites,  tops,  marbles,  and  balls,  but  these  were 
almost  always  home-made. 

They  made  also  with  the  jack-knife,  which 
was  their  proudest  possession,  pop-guns,  willow 
whistles,  windmills,  water-wheels,  bows  and  ar- 
rows, slings  and  box-traps. 

The  games  which  the  children  played  are 
familiar  now,  —  hop-scotch,  blindman's  buflf,  cat's 
cradle,  and  many  singing  games. 

The  first  schools  were  kept  in  the  cabins,  and 
the  good  women  who  taught  the  children  often 
cooked  or  sewed  while  the  pupils  studied  and 
recited  their  lessons.  The  girls  carried  their 
work-boxes  to  the  dame-schools  and  learned  to 
sew  and  knit  as  well  as  to  read  and  write. 

When  they  had  learned  to  read,  there  were  few 
books  and  no  magazines  nor  papers  for  them  to 
enjoy.     "  Pilgrim's  Progress,"  "  Robins-on  Crusoe," 


-«  12  8«- 

'^iEsop's  Fables"  and  ''  Gulliver's  Travels"  were 
almost  the  only  books  for  children  which  had 
been  published,  and  these  were  very  expensive. 

But  there  was  one  book  which  the  little  ones 
loved,  which  every  child  loves  to-day,  —  Mother 
Goose's  Melodies.  Then  there  were  the  stories 
of  Cinderella,  Tom  Thumb,  Red  Riding  Hood,  and 
a  host  of  others  which  the  Pilgrim  mothers  had 
learned  during  their  own  childhood,  and  which 
were  told  and  retold  in  the  long  winter  evenings. 

The  churches  were  built  even  before  the  school- 
houses,  and  all  the  little  ones  went  to  church  with 
their  parents  every  Sunday. 

The  Sabbath  began  on  Saturday  afternoon  at 
sunset.     Then  all  work  and  play  was  ended. 

The  next  morning,  very  early,  the  people  were 
up  and  dressed,  ready  to  go  to  meeting,  the  women 
carrying  foot-stoves,  and  the  men  armed  with  guns. 

No  church  bells  rang  out  on  the  still  morning 
air,  but  a  man  stood  at  the  door,  beating  a  drum. 

The  men  and  women  took  their  places,  and  the 
children  were  all  seated  together. 

The  sermon  was  often  three  hours  long,  but  there 
vras  very  little  playing  or  whispering  among  the 


-18  13  Be- 


little ones.  In  the  back  of  the  church  stood  a 
man  armed  with  a  long  pole,  on  one  end  of  which 
was  a  knob,  on  the  other  a  squirreFs  tail. 

If  a  child  laughed  or  spoke,  he  received  a  smart 
tap  on  the  head ;  if  he  nodded  or  closed  his  eyes, 
the  tithing-man  crept  up  and  tickled  his  face  with 
the  soft,  furry  tail. 


-•9  14  8«- 


AN   OLD-FASHIONED   SCHOOL 


dm'gy 
grad'u  al  ly 
spec'ta  cl0s 
of  fen'ders 


sam'pler 
aVpha  bet 
ed'u  cat  ed 
a  rith'me  tic 


mul  ti  pli  ca'tion 
Itix'u  ry 
fer'ule 
pro  fes'sion 


Imagine  yourselves,  my 
children,  in  Master  Ezekiel 
Cheever's  schoolroom.  It 
is  a  large,  dingy  room, 
with  a  sanded  floor.  The 
windows  turn  on  hinges 
and  have  little  diamond- 
shaped  panes  of  glass. 

The  scholars  sit  on  long 
benches  with  desks  be- 
fore them.  At  one  end  of 
the  room  is  a  great  fire- 
place, so  wide  that  there 
is  room  enough  for  three 
or  four  boys  to  stand  in  each  of  the  chimney- 
corners.  This  was  the  good  old  fashion  of  fire- 
places when  there  was  wood  enough  in  the  forests 


to  keep  people  warm  without  digging  into  the 
earth  for  coal. 

It  is  a  winter's  day  when  we  take  our  peep 
into  the  schoolroom.  See  what  great  logs  of 
wood  have  been  rolled  into  the  fireplace,  and 
what  a  broad,  bright  blaze  goes  leaping  up  into 
the  chimney !  Every  few  moments  a  vast  cloud 
of  smoke  is  puffed  into  the  room.  It  sails  slowly 
over  the  heads  of  the  pupils,  until  it  gradually 
settles  upon  the  walls  and  ceiling.  They  are 
already  blackened  with  the  smoke  of  many  years. 

Next  look  at  the  master's  chair.  It  is  placed, 
you  see,  in  the  most  comfortable  part  of  the  room, 
where  the  glow  of  the  fire  is  felt  without  being 
too  hot. 

Do  you  see  the  aged  schoolmaster,  severe  and 
stern,  with  a  black  cap  on  his  head,  and  the 
snow  of  his  white  beard  drifting  down  to  his 
waist  ? 

What  boy  would  dare  to  play  or  whisper  while 
Master  Cheever  is  on  the  lookout  behind  his  spec- 
tacles ?  For  such  offenders  a  rod  of  birch  is  hang- 
ing over  the  fireplace,  and  a  heavy  ferule  lies  on 
the  master's  desk. 


-»8  16  8«- 

But  where  are  the  girls  and  the  little  boys,  do 
you  ask  ? 

They  do  not  attend  Master  Cheever's  school. 
The  girls  go  to  a  school  which  is  taught  by  a 
woman,  where  they  learn  a  little  reading  and 
writing,  and  where  they  are  also  taught  to  work 
a  sampler  and  to  sew.  Have  you  never  seen  the 
sampler  which  your  great-grandmother  worked 
when  she  was  only  seven  years  old?  It  has 
the  letters  of  the  alphabet,  her  name  and  age, 
and  a  little  verse,  with  a  border  of  flowers,  all 
worked  in  colored  silks. 

The  little  boys  also  go  to  a  dame-school  until 
they  are  able  to  read;  then  they  are  allowed  to 
come  here. 

I  wish  that  you  could  take  a  peep  into  one 
of  the  dame-schools,  and  see  the  little  fellows 
standing  before  the  mistress.  They  hold  their 
horn-books  while  she  points  to  the  letters  with 
a  knitting  needle,  and  they  call  the  names  at 
the  top  of  their  voices.  A  strange  way  of  learn- 
ing to  read,  is  it  not?  But  that  is  the  way  all 
the  girls  and  boys  began  their  reading,  not  very 
many  years  ago. 


^  17  8«- 

But  Master  Cheever  is  rapping  on  his  desk 
with  the  heavy  iron  ruler,  and  school  is  begun. 
What  a  murmur  of  tongues,  like  the  whispering 
leaves  of  an  oak  tree,  as  the  scholars  study  their 
lessons ! 

Buzz  !  buzz !  buzz  !  In  just  such  a  noise  has 
good  Master  Cheever  spent  about  sixty  years,  and 
it  seems  as  pleasant  to  him  as  the  hum  of  a  bee- 
hive when  the  bees  are  busy  in  the  sunshine. 

A  class  in  Latin  is  called  to  recite.  Forth 
steps  a  row  of  queer-looking  little  fellows,  wear- 
ing square-skirted  coats  and  small-clothes,  with 
buttons  at  the  knee.  They  look  like  so  many 
grandfathers  in  their  second  childhood.  These 
lads  are  to  be  sent  to  college,  and  educated  for 
a  profession. 

Old  Master  Cheever  has  seen  so  many  school- 
boys grow  up  to  be  men,  that  he  can  almost  tell 
what  sort  of  a  man  each  boy  will  be. 

Next  comes  a  class  in  arithmetic.  These  boys 
are  to  be  merchants  and  shopkeepers.  Hitherto 
they  have  traded  only  in  marbles  and  apples. 
Hereafter  some  will  send  vessels  to  England  for 
all  sorts  of  manufactured  wares,  or  to  the  West 


-98  18  9«- 

Indies  for  sugar  and  molasses.     Others  will  stand 
behind  counters  and  measure  tape  and  ribbon. 

First  they  recite  the  multiplication  tables  in 
concert.  How  they  shout!  but  Master  Cheever 
will  hear  the  least  error,  be  it  spoken  ever  so 
softly ;  so  be  careful,  boys. 

Now  the  master  is  giving  out  some  examples 
for  the  boys  to  i)erform.  But  they  have  no  paper 
and  lead-pencils,  you  exclaim. 

No,  indeed !  Some  few  have  slates  and  slate- 
pencils,  but  those  whose  parents  cannot  afford 
this  luxury  do  their  work  on  strips  of  birch-bark, 
with  a  short  stick  of  lead  which  has  been  melted 
and  moulded  at  home, 

What  examples !  Look  at  that  one  with  fifteen 
figures  in  the  answer  1  And  it  must  be  correct 
the  first  time,  too. 

Now  a  class  in  reading  is  called.  The  boys 
take  their  books  and  stand  in  a  row  before  the 
great  fireplace.  First  they  spell  the  words  which 
the  master  dictates.  Listen  —  "  incompatibility  '^ 
—  **  i-n  in,  c-o-m  com  incom,  p-a-t  pat  incompat, 
i  i  incompati,  b-i-1  bil  incompatibil,  i  i  incompati- 
bili,  t-y  ty  incompatibility." 


^  19  e«^ 


Now  they  are  going  to  read.  Do  you  think 
they  will  find  that  story  of  ''  The  Fox  and  the 
Crow^'  interesting?  Do  they  understand  the 
meaning  of  all  those  long  words?  What  does  it 
matter  if  they  do  not?  They  are  learning  to 
read,  and  it  is  a  very  serious  piece  of  work. 

And  thus  the  forenoon  passes  away.  Now  it 
is  twelve  o^clock.  The  master  looks  at  his  great 
silver  watch,  and  then  puts  the  ferule  into  the 
desk. 

''  Tou  are  dismissed,"  says  Master  Cheever,  and 
the  boys  rush  out  with  a  shout  of  joy. 

—  Nathanikij  Hawthorns  (Adapted). 


^  20  S«- 


THE  CHILD'S   WORLD 


^  21  9«- 

THE  CHILD'S  WORLD 

Great,  wide,  beautiful,  wonderful  World, 
With  the  wonderful  water  round  you  curled, 
And  the  wonderful  grass  upon  your  breast,  — 
World,  you  are  beautifully  dressed. 

The  wonderful  air  is  over  me. 
And  the  wonderful  wind  is  shaking  the  tree. 
It  walks  on  the  water,  and  whirls  the  mills, 
And  talks  to  itself  on  the  tops  of  the  hills. 

You,  friendly  Earth  !  how  far  do  you  go, 

With  the  wheat-fields  that  nod  and  the  rivers  that 

flow. 
With  cities  and  gardens,  and  cliffs,  and  isles, 
And  people  upon  you  for  thousands  of  miles? 

Ah,  you  are  so  great,  and  I  am  so  small, 

I  tremble  to  think  of  you.  World,  at  all ; 

And  yet,  when  I  said  my  prayers,  to-day, 

A  whisper  inside  me  seemed  to  say, 

"  You  are  more  than  the  Earth,  though  you  are  such 

a  dot : 
You  can  love  and  think,  and  the  Earth  can  not ! '' 

—  W.  B.  Rauds. 


-«  22  8€- 


THE  JACK-O'-LANTERN 


scooped 

a  bod^' 

dis  ap  pe^r^d' 


shad'o^ 

glared 

En  dur'ang^ 


neigli'bor 
pump 'kins 
har'ves  ting 


The  children  had  been  working  busily  all  day 
helping  their  father  and  mother  with  the  harvest- 
ing. It  would  soon  be  Thanksgiving  Day,  and 
the  nuts  had  to  be  gathered  and  stored  away,  the 
pumpkins  and  corn  put  into  the  barn,  and  the 
apples  cut,  strung  and  hung  up  to  dry. 


^  23  8«- 

In  the  olden  time,  you  see,  the  children  had 
to  work  during  the  spring  planting  and  the  fall 
harvesting,  and  they  went  to  school  a  little  in 
the  winter  and  summer. 

After  supper  the  family  gathered  round  the  big 
fireplace  in  the  kitchen,  —  all  but  the  father,  who 
had  gone  to  help  a  neighbor. 

''  Let  us  string  a  few  more  apples,'^  said  Endur- 
ance. "  Father  filled  the  baskets  again  this  after- 
noon ! '' 

''  Oh,  no  !  ^'  said  Obed.  ''  Let  us  make  a  jack- 
o'-lantern.  I  found  a  big  yellow  pumpkin  and 
Father  gave  it  to  me.'' 

'*Yes,  yes,"  cried  all  the  children.  '*Let  us 
make  a  jack-o'-lantern !  "  and  they  watched  with 
eager  interest  while  Obed  cut  off  the  top  of  the 
pumpkin  and  scooped  out  the  seeds. 

*'  Now  make  two  big  eyes,"  said  Endurance,  and 
Obed  cut  two  round  holes  in  the  rind.  Then  he 
cut  a  long  narrow  opening. 

*'  What  a  big  mouth  !  "  said  Patience. 

''The  better  to  eat  you  with,  my  dear,"  said 
one  of  the  boys,  as  Obed  added  a  nose  and  two 
ears. 


^  24  Be- 

*'  Mother,  Mother,  may  we  have  a  candle  ? 
Our  lantern  is  finished, '^  cried  the  children,  at 
last. 

Mrs.  Moore  found  a  bit  of  candle,  and  they 
fastened  it  into  the  pumpkin  and  lighted  it. 
How  the  big  eyes  glared,  and  the  mouth  grinned ! 
Truly,  it  was  an  ugly  face. 

Just  then  a  man  came  riding  by.  ''  The  Indi- 
ans, the  Indians! ''  he  cried.  ''They  are  coming 
up  from  the  swamp.  There  is  not  time  for  you 
to  go  to  the  block-house. '' 

''Take  the  children.  Mother, '^  said  Obed,  "and 
hide  them  in  the  loft.  Amos  and  I  will  stay  here 
and  watch  for  the  Indians,  and  perhaps  Father 
will  come  soon  to  help  us.'^ 

In  a  moment  the  children  were  hidden,  the  fire 
was  covered,  and  the  boys  were  peering  out  into 
the  darkness. 

"Look,  look!^^  whispered  Amos;  "there  is  a 
shadow  behind  that  tree.  I  think  it  is  an 
Indian.'^ 

Then,  as  he  saw  the  shadow  move,  he  spoke 
again.  "  Let  us  try  to  scare  him,  Obed.  The 
jack-o'-lantern,  quick !  '^ 


^  25  8^ 

The  jack-oMantern  was  lighted  and  set  in  the 
window.  It  moved  its  head  from  side  to  side. 
It  glared  and  stared  into  the  night.  It  disap- 
peared and  appeared  again. 

The  Indian  saw  its  shining  eyes,  its  grinning 
mouth,  and  he  fled  through  the  woods  in  terror. 

''  The  fire-spirit,  the  fire-spirit ! ''  he  called  to 
his  comrades,  and  they  hurried  with  him  back 
to  the  swamp. 

All  night  long  Obed  kept  the  jack-oMantern 
in  the  window,  but  the  Indians  never  dared  to 
return  to  the  abode  of  the  great  fire-spirit. 


SONG 

Under  the  greenwood  tree, 

Who  loves  to  lie  with  me, 

And  tune  his  merry  note 

Unto  the  sweet  bird's  throat. 

Come  hither,  come  hither,  come  hither; 

Here  shall  he  see 

No  enemy 
But  winter  and  rough  weather. 

—  William  Shakespeare. 


^  26  B«- 


TWO   BRASS   KETTLES 


rl'fl^s  set'tlers  ste^l'thi  ly 

Itis'ti  ly  poPish^d  ap  pro^ch' 

sav'ag^  ap  pe^r^d'  whis'per^d 

When  the  white  men  came  to  this  country  they 
found  great  numbers  of  Indians  living  here. 

At  first  the  Indians  and  the  white  settlers  were 
friends,  but  later  trouble  arose  and  a  war  broke 
out  which  lasted  for  many  years. 

During  this  dreadful  war  with  the  savages, 
there  were  times  when  even  the  women  and  chil- 
dren had  to  fight  for  their  lives. 

In  each  settlement  block-houses  were  built,  and 
whenever  the  men  heard  of  the  approach  of  the 
Indians  they  fled  with  their  wives  and  children 
to  these  forts. 

^  They  did  not  always  have  time  to  go  to  the 
forts,  and  sometimes  the  Indians  crept  up  stealth- 
ily during  the  daytime,  while  the  men  were  at 
work  in  the  fields,  and  carried  oflf  the  women 
and  children. 

Guns  and  rifles  were  always  loaded  and  near 


-98  27  Se- 
at  hand,  but  sometimes  they  were  of   less  use 
than  simpler  weapons. 

Once  two  brass  kettles  saved  the  lives  of  two 
little  children,  —  two  big  brass  kettles  that  had 
been  polished  until  they  shone  like  gold.  There 
they  stood  on  the  floor  before  the  fire,  when  an 
Indian  looked  in  at  the  window. 

He  saw  the  kettles,  but  he  did  not  see  the 
children  playing  in  the  corner,  for  the  room 
was  shady  and  the  sun  shone  brightly  outside. 

But  the  woman,  who  was  alone  with  the  little 
ones,  saw  the  ugly  face,  and,  as  the  Indian  moved 
away  to  look  in  at  another  window,  she  seized  the 
children  and  put  them  under  the  two  brass  kettles. 
Then  she  hid  in  the  chimney-corner. 

The  Indian's  head  appeared  at  another  window. 

**Be  quiet,  children,''  whispered  the  woman; 
but  they  were  frightened,  and  began  to  cry. 

When  the  savage  heard  this  noise  coming  from 
the  kettles,  he  aimed  his  gun  and  fired.  How 
the  shot  rang  through  the  room,  and  how  it 
frightened  the  babies ! 

They  screamed  lustily,  and  began  to  creep  — 
kettles  and  all  —  across  the  kitchen. 


-"•9  2o  8^ 


Two  brass  kettles  moving  over  the  floor  towards 
the  Indian !  He  stood  a  moment  and  looked  at 
them,  then  throwing  down  his  gun,  he  turned  and 
fled  through  the  fields  back  to  his  wigwam. 

The  two  brass  kettles  had  saved  the  babies^ 
lives.  For  many  years  they  hung  beside  the  fire. 
They  were  polished  and  repolished,  and  the  chil- 
dren's children  and  grandchildren  never  tired  of 
their  history. 


^29  8«- 

BOSTON  BOYS   OF  1776 

en'e  ini^s  Brit'ish  com  pla^n' 

cSro  nists  Qit'i  z^ns  reb'els 

ex 'gel  lent  en  camped'  ad  mlr'mg 

lib'er  ty  as  sur^d'  se  ver^'ly 

The  Indians  were  not  the  only  enemies  that 
the  colonists  had  to  fear.  A  great  many  soldiers 
were  sent  from  England  to  force  them  to  obey 
the  king^s  laws. 

Some  of  these  British  soldiers  had  their  camp 
on  Boston  Common.  This  Common  was  the 
playground  of  the  boys  then,  just  as  it  is  now. 

In  the  summer  they  played  ball  and  had  jolly 
times  flying  their  kites.  In  the  winter  the  knolls 
furnished  excellent  coasting,  and  nowhere  was 
there  better  skating  than  on  the  little  pond. 

The  Common  was  large  enough  to  furnish  both 
a  camp  for  the  soldiers  and  a  playground  for  the 
boys ;  but  the  British  soldiers,  having  nothing  to 
do,  annoyed  the  citizens,  and  even  seemed  to  take 
delight  in  spoiling  the  boys'  good  times. 

As  soon  as  the  water  froze  in  the  little  pond, 


-«  30  8«- 

the  boys  spent  every  moment  that  could  be  spared 
from  their  lessons,  skating  on  the  ice. 

If  it  snowed,  they  built  up  the  knolls  into  steep 
hills  and  coasted  down  across  the  pond.  But  now 
that  the  soldiers  were  encamped  on  the  Common 
everything  was  changed. 

If  ice  formed  in  the  pond,  it  was  chopped  and 
cracked  during  the  night.  If  the  boys  built  a 
good  coast,  it  was  torn  down  or  covered  with  sand. 

At  last  the  boys  would  endure  this  treatment 
no  longer;  and  one  morning  they  chose  some  of 
their  number  to  call  upon  the  British  general  and 
complain  to  him  of  his  soldiers. 

When  General  Gage  heard  the  boys'  story  he 
said:  ''Who  told  you  to  come  to  me?  Are  your 
fathers  teaching  you,  too,  to  be  little  rebels? '' 

^'No  one  sent  us,''  replied  one  of  the  boys. 
''We  have  done  nothing  to  annoy  your  soldiers, 
but  they  spoil  our  coasts  and  break  the  ice  where 
we  skate.  We  complained  to  them,  and  they 
called  us  '  young  rebels '  and  told  us  to  help  our- 
selves if  we  could.  We  told  the  captain,  and  he 
laughed  at  us.  Yesterday  our  work  was  destroyed 
for  the  third  time  and  we  will  bear  it  no  longer." 


^  31  8«- 

The  lad's  eyes  flashed,  and  General  Gage,  who 
was  by  no  means  a  bad  man,  could  not  help 
admiring  the  courage  of  the  little  fellow. 

He  turned  to  one  of  his  oflicers,  saying,  ''  The 
very  children  draw  in  a  love  of  liberty  with  the 
air  they  breathe. '^  Then  turning  to  the  boys, 
''Go,  my  brave  lads,''  he  said,  "and  be  assured 
that  if  my  soldiers  trouble  you  again,  they  shall 
be  severely  punished." 


"1     '"  ^>     s^ 


-i8  32  8«^ 


ELIZABETH   ZANE 


pris'jingrs  stir  ren'der  cap'ttir^d 

mold'mg  ex  ]iajis'ted  a  maz0'ment 

biiriets  vol  tin  teer^d'  whis'tl^d 

Not  long  after  the  boys  of  Boston  called  on 
General  Gage,  Elizabeth  Zane  proved  that  girls, 
too,  can  be  brave  and  fearless. 

In  a  village  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio  River, 
there  was  a  large  fort  called  Fort  Henry.  When 
the  Indians,  who  were  fighting  on  the  side  of 
the  English,  attacked  the  village,  all  the  men, 
women  and  children  fled  to  the  fort. 

The  Indians  next  attacked  the  fort,  and  all  of 
the  men  who  went  out  to  fight  them  were  killed 
or  taken  as  prisoners.  At  last  there  were  but 
twelve  men  left  to  protect  the  women  and  children. 

The  men  had  plenty  of  guns,  and  the  women 
worked  busily  molding  bullets,  and  loading  the 
guns  and  handing  them  to  the  men. 

The  fighting  was  kept  up  for  many  hours. 
Often  the  Indians  crept  up  and  tried  to  set  fire 
to  the  fort,  but  they  were  driven  back  each  time. 


-»9  33  S«- 

At  last  they  withdrew  a  little  way  into  the  edge 
of  the  woods,  to  rest  and  prepare  for  another 
attack. 

When  the  colonists  also  began  to  prepare  for  a 
second  attack,  they  found  that  their  supply  of 
powder  was  almost  exhausted.  They  well  knew 
that  without  powder  they  could  not  hold  back  the 
Indians,  and  that  to  surrender  meant  certain  death. 

Captain  Zane  called  his  men  together  and  said : 
''In  my  house  there  is  a  keg  of  powder.  I  do  not 
wish  to  order  any  man  to  go  for  it,  as  it  is  a  very 
dangerous  thing  to  do,  but  I  would  like  to  have 
some  one  offer  to  go.'' 

Several  of  the  young  men  at  once  volunteered. 

''It  means  almost  certain  death,''  said  the 
captain. 

''  I  know  that,"  replied  one  of  the  youths ;  ''  but 
we  must  have  the  powder.  To  stay  means  death 
to  all." 

Just  then  the  captain's  sister,  Elizabeth,  a  girl 
about  fourteen  years  old,  stepped  forward.  "I 
will  go  for  the  powder,"  she  said.  ''You  cannot 
spare  one  of  the  men.  They  are  all  needed  to  pro- 
tect the  fort.     I  fear  that  there  are  not  enough 


^  34  8«- 

now.     If  we  are  captured  by  the  Indians  I  shall 
surely  be  killed.     Please  let  me  go.'' 

At  first  Captain  Zane  refused,  but  he  knew 
that  she  was  right;  not  a  man  could  be  spared. 
So,  at  last,  the  gate  of  the  fort  was  opened  for  a 
moment,  and  the  girl  ran  quickly  out. 


The  Indians  saw  her  cross  the  road.  ''  A  squaw ! 
a  squaw ! ''  they  cried  in  amazement ;  but  they 
did  not  attempt  to  shoot  her. 

She  entered  her  brother's  house  and  found  the 
keg,  but  it  was  too  heavy  for  her  to  carry,  so  she 
emptied  the  powder  into  her  apron. 


-58  35  8«- 

When  she  came  out  of  the  house  and  started  to 
return  to  the  fort  with  her  apronful  of  powder, 
the  Indians  fired  at  her ;  but  although  the  arrows 
whistled  over  her  head,  she  ran  swiftly  on,  and 
reached  the  gate  in  safety. 

With  the  help  of  this  powder,  the  colonists  were 
able  to  keep  the  Indians  from  setting  fire  to  the 
fort  that  night.  The  next  morning  more  men 
came,  and  the  Indians  were  driven  away. 

The  story  of  the  fight  at  Fort  Henry  is  often 
told,  and  Elizabeth  Zane,  the  brave  girl  who 
carried  the  apronful  of  powder  to  the  men  in 
the  fort,  will  never  be  forgotten. 


TO  A  CHILD 

Small  service  is  true  service  while  it  lasts. 
Of  humblest  friends,  bright  creature,  scorn  not  one 
The  daisy,  by  the  shadow  that  it  casts. 
Protects  the  lingering  dewdrop  from  the  sun. 

— -WiLiiiAM  Wordsworth. 


-99  36  8«^ 


THE  LAND   OF  STORY  BOOKS 


>^>^^. 


--(r^r 


At  evening,  when  tlie  lamp  is  lit, 
Around  the  fire  my  parents  sit. 
They  sit  at  home,  and  talk  and  sing, 
And  do  not  play  at  anything. 


Now,  with  my  little  gun,  I  crawl 
All  in  the  dark  along  the  wall. 
And  follow  round  the  forest  track 
Away  behind  the  sofa  back. 


There,  in  the  night,  where  none  can  spy. 
All  in  my  hunter's  camp  I  lie. 
And  play  at  books  that  I  have  read 
Till  it  is  time  to  go  to  bed. 

These  are  the  hills,  these  are  the  woods, 
These  are  my  starry  solitudes, 
And  there  the  river,  by  whose  brink 
The  roaring  lions  come  to  drink. 

I  see  the  others  far  away. 
As  if  in  firelit  camp  they  lay, 
And  I,  like  to  an  Indian  scout. 
Around  their  party  prowled  about. 

So,  when  my  nurse  comes  in  for  me, 
Home  I  return  across  the  sea. 
And  go  to  bed  with  backward  looks 
At  my  dear  Land  of  Story  Books. 

—  Robert  Louis  Stevenson. 


^  38  8«- 

THE  LAND   OF   NOD 

From  breakfast  on  through  all  the  day 
At  home  among  my  friends  I  stay, 
But  every  night  I  go  abroad 
Afar  into  the  land  of  Nod. 

All  by  myself  I  have  to  go, 

With  none  to  tell  me  what  to  do  — 

All  alone  beside  the  streams 

And  up  the  mountain  sides  of  dreamSe 

The  strangest  things  are  there  for  me, 
Both  things  to  eat  and  things  to  see, 
And  many  frightening  sights  abroad, 
Till  morning  in  the  land  of  Nod. 

Try  as  I  like  to  find  the  way, 
I  never  can  get  back  by  day, 
Nor  can  remember  plain  and  clear 
The  curious  music  that  I  hear. 

— Robert  Louis  Stevenson 


-»9  39  8«- 


THE  PINE-TREE  SHILLINGS 


ex  chang(^' 
far 'thing 
wam'pum 


sal' a  ri^s 

in  con  ve'nient 

im  me'di  at^  ly 


shir  ling 
sat'is  fi^d 
man  vl  fac'tur^ 


Captain  John  Hull  was  the  mint-master  of 
Massachusetts,  and  coined  all  the  money  that  was 
made  there. 

This  was  a  new  line  of  business;  for  in  the 
earlier  days  the  colonists  had  used  the  gold  and 
silver  money  of  England,  Portugal,  and  Spain. 

These  coins  being  scarce,  the  people  were  often 
obliged  to  exchange  their  goods  instead  of  selling 


-»9  40  8«- 

them.  For  instance,  if  a  man  wished  to  buy  a 
coat,  he  perhaps  exchanged  a  bearskin  for  it. 

If  he  wished  for  a  barrel  of  molasses,  he  might 
purchase  it  with  a  pile  of  pine  boards. 

Musket-bullets  were  used  instead  of  farthings, 
and  the  Indians  had  a  sort  of  money  called  wam- 
pum, which  was  made  of  clam-shells.  Bank-bills 
had  never  been  heard  of  at  this  time. 

There  was  not  enough  money  of  any  kind  to 
pay  the  salaries  of  the  ministers,  so  that  they 
sometimes  had  to  take  fish,  corn,  and  wood,  instead 
of  silver  or  gold. 

It  was  very  inconvenient  to  trade  in  this  way, 
and  finally  the  colonists  decided  to  coin  their  own 
silver  money. 

Captain  John  Hull  was  selected  to  manufacture 
the  money,  and  was  to  have  one  shilling  out  of 
every  twenty  to  pay  him  for  his  trouble. 

At  once  all  the  old  silver  in  the  colony  was 
handed  over  to  Captain  Hull.  Old  silver  mugs  and 
pitchers,  silver  buttons,  buckles,  and  broken  spoons 
were  thrown  together  into  the  melting  pot. 

In  fact,  so  much  silver  was  melted  down  and 
coined,  that  in  a  short  time  the  colonists  had  an 


-•9  41  8«- 

immense  amount  of  bright  shillings,  sixpences, 
and  threepences. 

Each  coin  had  the  date  1652  on  one  side,  and  a 
figure  of  a  pine  tree  on  the  other.  Hence  they 
were  called  '' pine-tree  shillings.  ^^ 

For  every  twenty  shillings  that  he  coined,  you 
will  remember,  Captain  John  Hull  was  to  put  one 
shilling  into  his  own  pocket. 

The  people  soon  began  to  suspect  that  the  mint- 
master  would  have  the  best  of  the  bargain.  They 
offered  him  a  large  sum  of  money  if  he  would  give 
up  the  twentieth  shilling,  but  Captain  Hull  did 
not  wish  to  do  so. 

He  was  perfectly  satisfied,  and  well  he  might 
be,  for  in  a  few  years  his  pockets,  his  money- 
bags, and  his  strong  box  were  overflowing  with 
pine-tree  shillings. 

When  the  mint-master  had  grown  very  rich,  a 
young  man,  Samuel  Sewall  by  name,  wished  to 
marry  his  only  daughter  Betsy. 

On  the  wedding-day,  we  may  suppose  that  hon- 
est John  Hull  dressed  himself  in  a  plum-colored 
coat,  all  the  buttons  of  which  were  made  of  pine- 
tree  shillings.     The  buttons  of  his  waistcoat  were 


^  42  9«- 

sixpences,  and  his  shoe-buckles  were  made  of 
silver  threepences. 

After  the  wedding  was  over,  Captain  Hull  whis- 
pered to  two  of  his  men-servants,  who  immediately 
went  out,  and  soon  returned,  bringing  in  a  large 
pair  of  scales. 

^'Daughter  Betsy,''  said  the  mint-master,  **get 
into  one  side  of  these  scales. '' 

Miss  Betsy  —  or  Mrs.  Sewall,  as  we  must  now 
call  her  —  did  as  she  was  bidden,  like  a  dutiful 
daughter,  without  any  question.  But  what  her 
father  could  mean,  unless  to  make  her  husband 
pay  for  her  by  the  pound,  she  had  not  the  least 
idea. 

''  And  now,"  said  honest  John  Hull  to  the  men, 
**  bring  that  box  hither.'' 

The  box  to  which  the  mint-master  pointed  was 
a  huge,  square,  iron-bound,  oaken  chest;  it  was 
so  large  and  heavy  that  the  men  could  not  lift  it, 
and  were  obliged  to  drag  it  across  the  floor. 

Captain  Hull  then  took  a  key  from  his  pocket, 
unlocked  the  chest,  and  lifted  its  heavy  lid. 
Behold!  it  was  full  to  the  brim  of  bright  pine-tree 
shillings,  fresh  from  the  mint. 


-»6  43  8e- 

Then  the  servants,  at  Captain  HulUs  command, 
heaped  double  handfuls  of  shillings  into  one  side 
of  the  scales,  while  Betsy  remained  in  the  other. 

.Tingle,  jingle,  went  the  shillings,  as  handful 
after  handful  was  thrown  in,  till  at  last  they 
fairly  weighed  the  young  lady  from  the  floor. 

''There,  son  Sewall!"  cried  the  honest  mint- 
master,  ''take  these  shillings  for  my  daughter's 
dowry.  It  is  not  every  wife  that  is  worth  her 
weight  in  silver. '' 

— Nathaniel  Hawthorne  (Adapted). 


SONG  FROM   '^PIPPA  PASSES 

The  year's  at  the  spring, 
And  day's  at  the  morn ; 
Morning's  at  seven ; 
The  hill-side's  dew-pearled ; 
The  lark's  on  the  wing ; 
The  snail's  on  the  thorn : 
God's  in  his  heaven  — 
All's  right  with  the  world. 


Robert  BROwNiNa 


-^  44  8«- 

INDIAN  CHILDREN 

Pirgrims 

dec'o  ra  ted 

e^r'th^n 

Plym'(2(uth 

trav^U^d 

veg'etabl^ 

shel'ter^d 

re  quired' 

sue' CO  tash 

squa^ 

fa  miriar 

hom'i  ny 

pa  poos^' 

fur'ni  tur^ 

ker'nels 

No  one  knows  how 
long  the  Indians  had 
been  living  in  this  coun- 
try when  the  Pilgrims 
landed  at  Plymouth. 

They  found  the  Red 
Men  living  in  wigwams 
made  of  long  poles  and 
covered  with  skins. 
These  wigwams  were 
easily  taken  down  and 
moved,  and  this  was 
done    every    season. 

In  winter  the  Indians  moved  into  sheltered 
places  in  the  forests ;  in  the  spring  they  chose 
fields  where  corn  could  be  planted,  and  in  the 
autumn  they  went  to  the  hunting  grounds. 


The  men  spent  their  time  in  hunting,  fishing, 
or  fighting,  while  the  women  stayed  at  home  to 
work. 

The  squaw  planted  the  corn,  harvested  it,  and 
ground  it  into  meal ;  dressed  the  skins  and  cooked 
the  meat  and  fish  which  the  men  brought  home 
and  took  care  of  the  wigwam  and  the  children. 

The  Indian  baby,  or  papoose,  as  it  was  called, 
was  strapped  into  a  cradle  most  of  the  time  until 
it  was  two  years  old.  These  cradles  were  made 
of  wood,  bark,  or  leather,  and  were  often  decorated 
with  colored  shells.  When  the  mother  was  at 
work  in  the  fields,  the  cradle  was  hung  in  a  tree ; 
when  she  travelled  about,  it  was  strapped  to  her 
back. 

The  Indian  father  did  not  take  care  of  the  baby, 
but  if  it  were  a  boy,  he  watched  eagerly  for  the 
time  when  his  son  could  be  taught  to  use  a  tiny 
bow  and  arrow. 

The  boys  were  not  required  to  do  any  work,  nor 
were  there  any  schools  where  they  could  study; 
but  they  learned  many  lessons  that  cannot  be 
found  in  books. 

A  boy  had  to  know  where  to  look  for  the  birds ; 


-58  46  8^ 


AN  INDIAN  BOY 


^  47  8«- 

he  had  to  be  familiar  with  their  colors  and  their 
songs;  know  where  and  how  they  built  their 
nests,  when  they  flew  away  to  the  warm  South, 
and  when  they  returned  in  the  spring. 

He  had  to  know  also  the  haunts  and  habits  of  the 
animals,  where  to  find  them,  and  how  to  shoot  them. 

When  the  boy  was  twelve  years  old  he  learned 
to  build  a  canoe  of  birch  bark,  and  to  paddle 
swiftly  and  silently  up  and  down  the  streams. 

While  the  Indian  boy  was  watching  the  birds 
and  animals  in  the  forests,  and  learning  to  hunt 
and  fish,  his  sister  stayed  at  home  to  help  her 
mother. 

When  the  little  girl  was  only  four  years  old  she 
was  taught  to  carry  wood,  and  a  little  later  she 
helped  to  cut  the  wood  and  plant  the  corn. 

She  learned  also  to  cook  and  sew,  and  to  keep 
the  wigwam  in  order.  This  was  not  very  difficult, 
as  the  floor  was  of  earth  and  was  never  swept. 
There  was  no  dusting  to  be  done,  as  there  was  no 
furniture. 

The  beds  were  nothing  but  skins  spread  on  the 
ground,  and  the  dishes  were  simply  wooden  or 
earthen  jars. 


-«  48  8^ 

Corn  was  the  chief  vegetable  food  of  the  Indian. 
The  squaws  planted  and  harvested  it.  They 
ground  some  of  it  between  two  stones  and  made 
hominy.  They  cooked  the  corn  with  beans  and 
made  succotash,  and  they  also  popped  the  kernels. 
Their  name  for  pop-corn  means  ''corn  that 
blossoms.'' 

The  children  gathered  wild  strawberries  and 
blueberries,  and  the  squaws  dug  clams  and  had 
clam-bakes,  much  as  we  do  now. 

The  making  of  maple  sugar  is  a  custom  which 
we  owe  to  the  Indians.  Every  spring  they  had  a 
sugar  festival  in  the  maple  woods. 

The  boys  did  not  fish  and  hunt  all  of  the  time, 
nor  did  the  little  girls  always  sew  and  cook. 

The  children  played  many  games,  and  they  had 
a  few  simple  toys.  The  babies  had  rattles  and 
strings  of  colored  shells,  and  the  girls  played  with 
rude  wooden  dolls. 

The  boys  made  their  own  toys  with  stones  and 
sticks,  but  they  liked  best  their  spears  and  arrows, 
which  they  used  in  fishing  and  hunting,  as  well 
as  in  playing  at  war. 


-98  49  8*- 

POCAHONTAS 

sp^r^ 

Po  ca  lion'tas 

pow'er  Ml 

flint 

Pow  |ia  tan' 

cap  tiv'i  ty 

com'pass 

Yir  gm'i  a 

com  pan 'ion 

Pocahontas  was  a  beautiful  Indian  maiden,  the 
daughter  of  the  great  chief,  Powhatan,  and  she 
was  so  good  and  kind  that  she  was  loved  by  all 
the  tribe  over  which  her  father  ruled. 

She  lived  in  the  forests  of  Virginia,  with  the 
birds  and  squirrels  for  her  companions. 

She  was  an  Indian  princess,  but  she  learned  to 
cook  and  sew  and  weave  mats,  just  as  the  other 


-88  50  9«- 

Indian  girls  did.  She  liked  to  embroider,  too, 
and  spent  many  happy  hours  decorating  her 
dresses  with  the  pretty  colored  shells  and  beads 
that  were  given  to  her  father. 

One  day,  when  she  was  twelve  years  old,  an  In- 
dian came  to  Powhatan  and  told  him  a  white  man 
had  been  captured  and  brought  to  the  village. 

*'He  is  a  wonderful  man,"  said  the  scout. 
'*He  can  talk  to  his  friends  by  making  marks 
on  paper,  and  he  can  make  a  fire  without  a  flint." 

''  Bring  him  here,"  said  the  chief,  and  Captain 
John  Smith  was  brought  before  Powhatan. 

The  chief  received  the  prisoner  in  his  wigwam, 
and  talked  with  him,  asking  him  many  questions. 

Captain  Smith  told  the  Indians  that  the  earth 
was  round,  and  that  the  sun  chased  the  night 
around  it.  He  said  that  the  sun  that  set  in  the 
west  at  night  was  the  same  sun  that  rose  in 
the  east  in  the  morning.  He  showed  them  his 
compass  and  told  them  how  it  guided  him 
through  the  forests. 

At  last  the  Indians  began  to  fear  him,  how- 
ever, thinking  that  so  wise  and  powerful  a  man 
might  do  them  some  harm.      So,  after  holding 


^  518«- 

him  as  a  prisoner  for  many  days,  they  decided  to 
put  him  to  death. 

In  the  meantime  Captain  Smith  and  Pocahontas 
had  become  the  best  of  friends.  He  told  her 
many  stories  of  his  childhood  in  a  land  across  the 
sea,  —  of  the  blue-eyed,  fair-haired  boys  and  girls, 
of  their  toys  and  games,  their  homes  and  schools, 
and  how  they  learned  to  read  and  write. 

So  when  Pocahontas  heard  that  her  dear  friend 
must  die,  she  felt  very  sad,  and  tried  to  think  of 
some  way  of  saving  his  life. 

And  she  did  save  his  life,  for  just  as  Captain 
Smith  was  to  be  killed,  the  child  threw  her  arms 
about  his  neck,  and  begged  her  father  to  spare 
the  white  man's  life,  for  her  sake. 

Powhatan  loved  his  little  daughter,  and  wished 
to  please  her  in  everything,  so  he  promised  to 
set  the  prisoner  free,  and  to  send  him  at  once 
to  his  friends. 

Pocahontas  often  visited  Captain  Smith  and 
learned  to  know  and  love  his  friends.  In  later 
years  she  went  to  England  to  see  the  fair-haired 
boys  and  girls  and  the  homes  and  schools  he  had 
told  her  about  during  his  captivity. 


-•6  52  9f 


SEVEN  TIMES  FOUR 


Heigh  lio !  daisies  and  buttercups, 

Fair  yellow  daffodils,  stately  and  tall ; 
When   the   wind   wakes,  how  they   rock   in   the 
grasses, 
And  dance  with  the  cuckoo-buds,  slender  and 
small; 
Here's  two  bonny  boys,  and  here's  mother's  own 
lasses. 

Eager  to  gather  them  all. 


Heigh  ho !  daisies  and  buttercups. 

Mother  shall  thread  them  a  daisy-chain ; 


Sing  them  a  song  of  the  pretty  hedge-sparrow, 
That  loved  her  brown  little  ones,  loved  them 
full  fain ; 
Sing,  **  Heart  thou  art  wide,  though  the  house  be 
but  narrow  '^  — 

Sing  once,  and  sing  it  again. 

Heigh  ho !  daisies  and  buttercups, 

Sweet  wagging  cowslips,  they  bend  and  they 
bow; 
A  ship  sails  afar  over  warm  ocean  waters, 

And  haply  one  missing  doth  stand  at  her  prow. 
0  bonny  brown  sons,  and  0  sweet  little  daughters, 
Maybe  he  thinks  of  you  now ! 

Heigh  ho !  daisies  and  buttercups, 

Fair  yellow  daffodils,  stately  and  tall ; 
A  sunshiny  world  full  of  laughter  and  leisure, 
And  fresh  hearts,  unconscious  of  sorrow  and 
thrall, 
Send  down  on  their  pleasure  smiles  passing  its 
measure  — 

God  that  is  over  us  all. 

—  Jean  Inoblow. 


-18  64  91- 

THE  NORTH 

WIND  AND 

THE  DUCK 

fe^ragss 

riish'es 

whirled 

con  ten 'ted 

div^d 

bla'zmg 

glit'ter  ing 

blasts 

im  pos'sibl^ 

In  the  far  north,  where  the  winters  are  long  and 
cold,  and  deep  snow  covers  the  earth  like  a  blanket 
for  many  months,  lived  Shingebiss,  the  wild  duck. 

His  little  hut  was  built  among  the  trees  on 
the  shore  of  a  broad  lake,  and  here  he  lived  alone 
all  winter.  As  soon  as  the  warm  days  came,  the 
other  birds  returned,  and  he  was  no  longer  lonely. 


-»8  55  8«- 

When  thick  ice  formed  over  the  water  Shinge^ 
biss  was  not  unhappy,  even  if  he  had  only  four 
logs  of  wood  to  keep  his  fire.  **  Each  log  is  large 
and  will  burn  a  month/ ^  said  the  cheerful  duck. 
^'  I  do  not  need  another  log.  There  are  only  four 
cold  months  in  the  year.^' 

Shingebiss  was  brave  and  fearless.  He  went 
out  even  on  the  coldest  days  in  search  of  food. 
Pulling  up  the  flags  and  rushes,  he  dived  through 
the  opening  he  had  made,  and  caught  the  fish  that 
were  swimming  about  under  the  ice. 

The  North  Wind  saw  the  little  duck  and  was 
angry  at  him  for  being  so  brave.  ''This  is  a 
wonderful  duck,'^  said  he.  '*  He  does  not  fear  the 
snow  or  ice  and  seems  as  contented  as  if  it  were 
the  month  of  flowers.  I  will  try  once  more  to 
frighten  him.'' 

Then  he  sent  forth  cold  blasts  and  drifts  of 
snow  so  that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  live  out 
of  doors. 

Still  the  brave  duck's  fire  burned,  and  he  caught 
plenty  of  fish  under  the  thick  ice. 

''Iwill  go  and  visit  him,"  said  North  Wind, 
one  day,  as  he  saw  Shingebiss  dragging  home  a 


-«  56  Si- 
long  string  of  flsli.     ''  He  cannot  live  long  when 
I  am  near  hinio      I  will  blow  my  icy  breath  upon 
him,  and  freeze  him  through  and  through/' 

That  very  night  North  Wind  crept  to  the  door 
of  the  little  hut.  Shingebiss  had  cooked  his  fish 
and  eaten  his  supper.  He  lay  stretched  in  front 
of  the  fire  where  the  log  was  burning  brightly, 
singing  his  songs. 

He  felt  the  cold  wind  on  his  back.  ''  I  know 
who  is  there/'  he  said,  so  he  began  singing:  — 


*^  Ka  neej,  ka  neej  ; 
Bee  in,  hee  in  ; 
Bon  in,  bon  in  ; 
Oc  ee,  oc  ee  ; 
Ka  weya  !  ka  weya  !  " 


This  was  his  way  of  saying  :  — 

*'  Cold  North  Wind,  I  know  your  plan ; 
You  are  but  my  fellow-man. 
You  may  blow  your  coldest  breeze, 
Shingebiss  you  cannot  freeze. 
Heigh,  for  life  1  and  ho,  for  bliss  I 
Who  so  free  as  Shingebiss  f  '' 


^  57  8c- 

"  He  will  not  sing  much  longer,"  thought  North 
Wind ;  and  creeping  under  the  door,  he  sat  down 
beside  the  duck. 

Shingebiss  arose  and  stirred  the  fire,  until  it 
blazed  and  roared  and  sent  a  great  heat  out 
into  the  room. 

^^  Bee  in,  bee  in; 
Bon  in,  bon  in; 
Shingebiss  you  cannot  freeze,^'* 

he  sang,  as  he  lay  down  again  near  the  fire 
without  even  glancing  at  his  visitor. 

Very  soon  the  tears  began  to  flow  down  North 
Wind's  cheeks.  '*  I  cannot  stay  here,''  he  thought. 
**  I  am  melting,  and  my  icy  breath  does  not  trouble 
Shingebiss.  He  is  a  wonderful  duck.  I  can 
neither  freeze  him  nor  starve  him.  I  will  let  him 
alone."  And  he  whirled  over  the  frozen  lake  in 
a  drift  of  glittering  snow. 

North  Wind  never  came  again  to  the  little  hut 
by  the  lake,  and  even  in  the  coldest  winter 
Shingebiss  still  catches  long  strings  of  fish  under 
the  ice,  and  sleeps  through  the  long  night  in  front 
of  his  blazing  logs. 


-^  58  8«- 


r 


%^ 


i..4>^ 


'^ 


LITTLE  SHOOTER-OF-BIRDS 


-<8  59  8»- 
WHY  THE  MOLE  IS  BLIND 


l^noU 

crack'ling 

scSrch^d 

snar^ 

wan'der^d 

fas']l!^n^d 

ti'ni  est 

j^uY'n^j 

^na^^d 

When  the  animals  ruled  over  the  earth,  they 
killed  all  the  people  except  a  little  girl  and 
her  brother. 

These  two  children  lived  together  i];i  a  tiny 
hut  in  the  forest.  The  girl  went  out  every  day 
to  get  wood  for  the  fire,  and  as  she  did  not  dare 
to  leave  her  brother  alone,  she  always  took  him 
with  her. 

One  day  she  gave  him  a  bow  and  some  arrows, 
and  said  to  him :  '*  I  will  leave  you  here,  little 
Brother,  where  I  have  been  gathering  the  wood. 
You  must  hide  behind  this  cedar  tree  and  when 
the  snow-birds  come,  shoot  one  of  them  and  bring 
it  home.'^ 

At  night  she  heard  his  footsteps  crackling 
through  the  snow,  and  he  hurried  in  to  show 
her  the  bird  he  had  killed. 

**When   I   have   killed   more   of   these   birds, 


-^  60  8«- 

Sister,  I  will  have  a  coat  made  of  the  skins," 
he  said,  and  every  day  he  hid  behind  the  tree 
with  his  bow  and  arrow,  while  his  sister  gathered 
firewood  in  the  forest. 

Soon  he  had  killed  ten  birds,  and  his  sister 
made  him  a  coat  out  of  the  skins.  *'Now,  little 
Shooter-of-Birds,''  she  said,  *'you  may  go  alone 
into  the  forest.  The  animals  will  not  harm  you 
while  you  wear  your  birdskin  coat." 

One  day  little  Shooter-of-Birds  wandered  far 
from  his  home,  and  climbed  through  the  bushes 
and  over  the  rocks  to  the  top  of  a  high  mountain. 

He  was  so  tired  with  his  long  journey  that  he 
lay  down  to  rest  on  a  grassy  knoll,  and  here  he 
slept  for  many  hours. 

While  he  was  sleeping,  the  great  sun  shone 
down  upon  him,  and  its  hot  rays  scorched  and 
burned  the  feathers  of  his  coat  until,  at  last,  the 
smoke  awakened  him. 

He  jumped  up  and  saw  what  the  sun  had  done 
to  his  beautiful  coat.  This  made  him  very  angry. 
^*  Behold  what  you  have  done,  0  Sun,"  he  cried. 
**  For  this  you  shall  be  punished.  You  shall 
never  rise  again." 


-»9  61  8«- 

Then  he  ran  down  the  mountain  side  and 
through  the  forest  to  his  home. 

*'Look,  Sister,  look/^  he  cried.  ''The  sun  has 
scorched  and  burned  the  feathers  of  my  birdskin 
coat.  Help  me  to  make  a  snare  at  once,  for  I 
mean  to  catch  him.^' 

''How  can  we  make  a  snare,  Brother?  We 
have  nothing  strong  enough  to  hold  the  sun.'' 

"We  will  make  a  cord  out  of  your  long  hair," 
cried  the  boy,  and  all  night  long  the  children 
worked  busily. 

In  the  morning,  before  the  dawn,  Shooter-of- 
Birds  ran  through  the  forest  and  fastened  the 
snare  to  the  mountain  top.  Just  as  the  sun  was 
beginning  to  rise  out  of  the  water  it  was  caught 
and  held  fast^  so  that  it  could  not  move. 

"Now  you  cannot  scorch  my  coat,''  cried  the 
boy,  and  he  ran  home  gaily. 

Day  after  day  passed  by,  and  still  the  sun  did 
not  rise.  The  grass  and  the  flowers  drooped  and 
died,  and  the  animals  ran  about  crying:  "What 
shall  we  do  ?     What  shall  we  do  without  the  sun  ?  " 

"  Some  one  must  cut  the  cord  and  free  him," 
said  the  hare.     "  We  cannot  live  without  him." 


-»8  62  8«- 

''Who  will  dare  to  do  it?''  cried  the  wolf. 
**No  one  can  go  so  near  the  sun  without  being 
burned  by  his  hot  rays/' 

At  last  the  mole,  who  was  then  the  largest  and 
bravest  animal  in  the  world,  said  that  he  would 
go,  and  he  made  haste  to  the  mountain  where  the 
sun  lay  in  the  snare. 

As  he  came  nearer  and  nearer,  his  back  began 
to  smoke  and  burn  with  the  heat,  but  he 
gnawed  the  cord  with  his  sharp  teeth,  and  the 
beautiful  round  sun  rolled  up  into  the  wide,  blue 
sky. 

The  poor  mole,  however,  blinded  by  the  bright 
sun  and  burned  by  its  hot  rays,  is  now  the  tiniest 
of  creatures,  and  lives  in  darkness,  seeing  nothing 
of  the  beauties  of  the  earth. 


-»9  63  8«- 

THE  NORTHERN  SEAS 

Up !  up !  let  us  a  voyage  take ; 

Why  sit  we  here  at  ease  ? 
Find  us  a  vessel  tight  and  snug, 

Bound  for  the  northern  seas. 

I  long  to  see  the  northern  lights 
With  their  rushing  splendors  fly, 

Like  living  things  with  flaming  wings, 
Wide  o^er  the  wondrous  sky. 

I  long  to  see  those  icebergs  vast, 
With  heads  all  crowned  with  snow. 

Whose  green  roots  sleep  in  the  awful  deep. 
Two  hundred  fathoms  low. 

I 
I  long  to  hear  the  thundering  crash 

Of  their  terrific  fall, 

And  the  echoes  from  a  thousand  cliffs 

Like  lonely  voices  call. 

There  shall  we  see  the  fierce  white  bear, 
The  sleepy  seals  agrouna, 


-^  64  8«- 

And  the  spouting  whales  that  to  and  fro 
Sail  with  a  dreary  sound. 

And  while  the  unsetting  sun  shines  on 
Through  the  still  heaven's  deep  blue, 

Well  traverse  the  azure  waves,  the  herds 
Of  the  dread  sea-horse  to  view. 

Well  pass  the  shores  of  solemn  pine, 
Where  wolves  and  black  bears  prowl ; 

And  away  to  the  rocky  isles  of  mist, 
To  rouse  the  northern  fowl. 

And  there  in  the  wastes  of  the  silent  sky. 

With  the  silent  earth  below. 
We  shall  see  far  off  to  his  lonely  rock 

The  lonely  eagle  go. 

Then  softly,  softly  will  we  tread 

By  inland  streams,  to  see 
Where  the  pelican  of  the  silent  North 

Sits  there  all  silently. 

— Mary  Howitt 


-^65  8*- 


THE  LAST  LESSON  IN  FRENCH 


Al  sag^' 
Lor  raji!n^' 
Prtis'sians 
vie' to  ri^s 
dis  missed' 


his'to  ry 
de  feats' 
un  der  stood' 
6c  ca'sion  al  ly 
lan'guag^ 


riif'i 
pun'ish^d 
tru'ant 
biirie  tin 
at  ten'tion 


I  was  very  late  that  morning  on  my  way  to 
school,  and  was  afraid  of  being  scolded,  as  the 
master  had  told  us  he  should  question  us  on  the 
verbs,  and  I  did  not  know  the  first  word,  for  I  had 
not  studied  my  lesson. 

For   a   moment   I   thought  of  playing  truant. 


H^^ 


•Mi 


-96  ee  9^ 

The  air  was  so  warm  and  bright,  and  I  could  hear 
the  blackbirds  whistling  in  the  edge  of  the  woods, 
and  the  Prussians  who  were  drilling  in  the 
meadow  behind  the  saw-mill. 

I  liked  this  much  better  than  learning  the  rules 
for  verbs,  but  I  did  not  dare  to  stop,  so  I  ran 
quickly  toward  school. 

Passing  the  mayor's  office,  I  saw  people  stand- 
ing before  the  little  bulletin-board.  For  two  years 
it  was  there  that  we  received  all  the  news  of  bat- 
tles, of  victories  and  defeats. 

**What  is  it  now?''  I  thought,  without  stop- 
ping to  look  at  the  bulletin. 

Then,  as  I  ran  along,  the  blacksmith,  who  was 
there  reading  the  bill,  cried  out  to  me,  ''  Not  so 
fast,  little  one,  you  will  reach  your  school  soon 
enough."  "^M 

I  thought  he  was  laughing  at  me  and  ran  faster 
than  ever,  reaching  the  school-yard  quite  out  of 
breath. 

Usually,  at  the  beginning  of  school,  a  loud 
noise  could  be  heard  from  the  street.  Desks  were 
being  opened  and  closed,  and  lessons  repeated  at 
the  top  of  the  voice.    Occasionally  the  heavy  ruler 


^  67  8«- 

of  the  master  beat  the  table,  as  he  cried,  ''  Silence, 
please,  silence  !  ^^ 

I  hoped  to  be  able  to  take  my  seat  in  all  this 
noise  without  being  seen;  but  that  morning  the 
room  was  quiet  and  orderly. 

Through  the  open  window  I  saw  my  school- 
mates already  in  their  places.  The  master  was 
walking  up  and  down  the  room  with  the  iron 
ruler  under  his  arm  and  a  book  in  his  hand. 

As  I  entered  he  looked  at  me  kindly,  and  said, 
without  scolding,  ''  Go  quickly  to  your  place,  little 
Franz  ;  we  were  just  going  to  begin  without  you. 
Ton  should  have  been  here  live  minutes  ago.^^ 

I  climbed  over  my  bench  and  sat  down  at  once 
at  my  desk.  Just  then  I  noticed,  for  the  first 
time,  that  our  master  wore  his  fine  green  coat' 
with  the  ruffled  frills,  and  his  black  silk  em- 
broidered cap. 

But  what  surprised  me  more  was  to  see  some 
of  the  village  people  seated  on  the  benches  at  the 
end  of  the  room.  One  of  them  was  holding  an 
old  spelling-book  on  his  knee;  and  they  all 
looked  sadly  at  the  master. 

While  I  was  wondering   at   this,   our   school- 


^VW(XM«: 


-^  68  8«- 

master  took  his  place,  and  in  the  same  kind  tone 
in  which  he  had  received  me,  he  said:  ''My  chil- 
dren, this  is  the  last  time  that  I  shall  give  you 
a  lesson.  An  order  has  come  from  Berlin  that 
no  language  but  German  may  be  taught  in  the 
schools  of  Alsace  and  Lorraine.  A  new  master 
will  come  to-morrow  who  will  teach  you  German. 
To-day  is  your  last  lesson  in  French.  I  beg  of 
you  to  pay  good  attention/' 

These  words  frightened  me.  This  is  what  they 
had  posted  on  the  bulletin-board,  then !  This  is 
what  the  blacksmith  was  reading. 

My  last  lesson  in  French  !  I  hardly  knew  how 
to  write,  and  I  never  should  learn  now.  How  I 
longed  for  lost  time,  for  hours  wasted  in  the  woods 
and  fields,  for  days  when  I  had  played  and  should 
have  studied. 

My  books  that  a  short  time  ago  had  seemed  so 
tiresome,  so  heavy  to  carry,  now  seemed  to  me 
like  old  friends. 

I  was  thinking  of  this  when  I  heard  my  name 
called.  It  was  my  turn  to  recite.  What  would  I 
not  have  given  to  be  able  to  say  the  rules  without 
a  mistake  ?    But  I  could  not  say  a  word,  and  stood 


-»9  69  St- 
at my  bench  without  daring  to  lift  my  head. 
Then  I  heard  the  master  speaking  to  me. 
^  ''  I  shall  not  scold  you,  little  Franz.  You  are 
punished  enough  now.  Every  day  you  have  said 
to  yourself :  '  I  have  plenty  of  time.  I  will  learn 
my  lesson  to-morrow.'  Now  you  see  what  has 
happened/' 

Then  he  began  to  talk  to  us  about  the  French 
language,  saying  that  it  was  the  most  beautiful 
tongue  in  the  world,  and  that  we  must  keep  it 
among  us  and  never  forget  it. 

Finally  he  took  the  grammar  and  read  us  the 
lesson.  I  was  surprised  to  see  how  I  understood. 
Everything  seemed  easy.  I  believe,  too,  that  I 
never  listened  so  well ;  and  it  almost  seemed  as 
if  the  good  man  were  trying  to  teach  us  all  he 
knew  in  this  last  lesson. 

The  lesson  in  grammar  ended,  we  began  our 
writing.  For  that  day  the  master  had  prepared 
some  new  copies,  on  which  were  written,  ''  Alsace, 
France;  Alsace,  France.'' 

They  seemed  like  so  many  little  flags  floating 
about  the  schoolroom.  How  we  worked !  Noth- 
ing was  heard  but  the  voice  of  the  master  and 


■^  70  Be- 

the  scratching  of  pens  on  the  paper.     There  was 
no  time  for  play  now. 

On  the  roof  of  the  schoolhouse  some  pigeons 
were  softly  cooing,  and  I  said  to  myself,  ''Will 
they,  too,  be  obliged  to  sing  in  German?  '^ 

Prom  time  to  time,  when  I  looked  up  from  my 
page,  I  saw  the  master  looking  about  him  as  if 
he  wished  to  impress  upon  his  mind  everything 
in  the  room. 

After  writing,  we  had  a  history  lesson.  Next, 
the  little  ones  recited  in  concert  their  "Ba,  be 
bi,  bo,  bu.'' 

Oh,  I  shall  remember  that  last  lesson ! 

Suddenly  the  church  clock  struck  the  hour  of 
noon.  The  master  rose  from  his  chair.  ''  My 
friends,''  said  he,  ''  my  friends,  —  I —  I  —  ^' 

But  something  choked  him ;  he  could  not  finish 
the  sentence.  He  turned  to  the  blackboard,  took 
a  piece  of  chalk,  and  wrote  in  large  letters, 
"VIVE   LA   FRANCE!'' 

Then  he  stood  leaning  against  the  wall,  unable 
to  speak.  He  signed  to  us  with  his  hand :  ''  It  is 
ended.     You  are  dismissed." 

—  Translated  from  the  French  of 

AliFHONSS  DAUDBT. 


-•8  718«- 


INCIDENT  OF  THE  FRENCH  CAMP 


Tou  know,  we  French  stormed  Ratisbon 

A  mile  or  so  away, 
On  a  little  mound,  Napoleon 

Stood  on  our  storming-day ; 
With  neck  out-thrust,  you  fancy  how, 

Legs  wide,  arms  locked  behind, 
As  if  to  balance  the  prone  brow 

Oppressive  with  its  mind. 


-»8  72  ad- 
just as  perhaps  he  mused,  **  My  plans 

That  soar,  to  earth  may  fall, 
Let  once  my  army-leader  Lannes 

Waver  at  yonder  wall,'^  — 
Out  ^twixt  the  battery-smokes  there  flew 

A  rider,  bound  on  bound 
Pull-galloping ;  nor  bridle  drew 

Until  he  reached  the  mound. 

Then  off  there  flung  in  smiling  joy, 

And  held  himself  erect 
By  just  his  horse's  mane,  a  boy : 

You  hardly  could  suspect  — 
(So  tight  he  kept  his  lips  compressed, 

Scarce  any  blood  came  through) 
ITou  looked  twice  ere  you  saw  his  breast 

Was  all  but  shot  in  two. 

**Well,''  cried  he,  *' Emperor,  by  God's  grace 

We've  got  you  Ratisbon ! 
The  Marshal's  in  the  market-place, 

And  you'll  be  there  anon 
To  see  your  flag-bird  flap  his  vans 

Where  I,  to  heart's  desire, 


-98  73  »- 

Perched  him  !  "  The  chief's  eye  flashed ;  his  plans 
Soared  up  again  like  fire. 

The  chief's  eye  flashed  ;  but  presently 

Softened  itself,  as  sheathes 
A  film  the  mother-eagle's  eye 

When  her  bruised  eaglet  breathes. 
"  You're  wounded !  "     *'  Nay,"  the  soldier's  pride 

Touched  to  the  quick,  he  said : 
"  I'm  killed,  Sire !  "  And  his  chief  beside, 

Smiling,  the  boy  fell  dead. 

—  Robert  Browning. 


^74  8t- 


THE  CHRISTMAS  GIFT 


Pic'co  la 
Nicji'o  las 


lon^'ly 
crum]zJs 
stroked 


shiv'er  ing 
f6r  got't^n 
con  ten'ted  ly 


In  the  sunny  land  of  France 
there  lived  many  years  ago  a 
•^  sweet,  sunny  little  maid  named 
Piccola. 
Piccola's  father  had  died  when 
she  was  a  baby,  and  her  mother  was  very  poor 
and  had  to  work  hard  all  day  in  the  fields  for  a 
few  sous. 

Little  Piccola  had  no  dolls  and  toys,  and  she 
was  often  hungry  and  cold,  but  she  was  never  sad 
nor  lonely. 

What  if  there  were  no  children  for  her  to  play 
with !  What  if  she  did  not  have  fine  clothes  and 
beautiful  toys!  In  summer  there  were  always 
the  birds  in  the  forest,  and  the  flowers  in  the 


fields  and  meadows,  —  the  birds  sang  so  sweetly, 
and  the  flowers  were  so  bright  and  pretty  1 

In  the  winter  when  the  ground  was  covered 
with  snow,  Piccola  helped  her  mother,  and  knit 
long  stockings  of  blue  wool. 

The  snow-birds  had  to  be  fed  with  crumbs,  if 
she  could  find  any,  and  then,  there  was  Christmas 
Day. 

But  one  year  her  mother  was  ill  and  could  not 
earn  any  money.  Piccola  worked  hard  all  the  day 
long,  and  sold  the  stockings  which  she  knit,  even 
when  her  own  little  bare  feet  were  blue  with  the 
cold. 

As  Christmas  Day  drew  near  she  said  to  her 
mother,  "  I  wonder  what  the  good  Saint  Nicholas 
will  bring  me  this  year.  I  cannot  hang  my  stock- 
ing in  the  fireplace,  but  I  shall  put  my  wooden 
shoe  on  the  hearth  for  him.  He  will  not  forget 
me,  I  am  sure." 

"  Do  not  think  of  it  this  year,  my  dear  child,*' 
replied  her  mother.  "  We  must  be  glad  if  we  have 
bread  enough  to  eat." 

But  Piccola  could  not  believe  that  the  good 
Saint  would  forget  her.     On  Christmas  Eve  she 


put  her  little  wooden  patten  on  the  hearth  before 
the  fire,  and  went  to  sleep  to  dream  of  Saint 
Nicholas. 

As  the  poor  mother  looked  at  the  little  shoe, 
she  thought  how  unhappy  her  dear  child  would  be 
to  find  it  empty  in  the  morning,  and  wished  that 
she  had  something,  even  if  it  were  only  a  tiny 
cake,  for  a  Christmas  gift.  There  was  nothing  in 
the  house  but  a  few  sous,  and  these  must  be  saved 
to  buy  bread. 

When  the  morning  dawned  Piccola  awoke  and 
ran  to  her  shoe. 

Saint  Nicholas  had  come  in  the  night.  He  had 
not  forgotten  the  little  child  who  had  thought  of 
him  Avith  such  faith. 

See  what  he  had  brought  her.  It  lay  in  the 
wooden  patten,  looking  up  at  her  with  its  two 
bright  eyes,  and  chirping  contentedly  as  she 
stroked  its  soft  feathers. 

A  little  swallow,  cold  and  hungry,  had  flown 
into  the  chimney  and  down  to  the  room,  and 
had  crept  into  the  shoe  for  warmth. 

Piccola  danced  for  joy,  and  clasped  the  shivei* 
ing  swallow  to  her  breast. 


-«  77  e^ 


PICCOLA 


-«  78  8«- 

She  ran  to  her  mother's  bedside.  ''Look, 
look !  '^  she  cried.  ''  A  Christmas  gift,  a  gift 
from  the  good  Saint  Nicholas ! ''  and  she  danced 
again  in  her  little  bare  feet. 

Then  she  fed  and  warmed  the  bird,  and  cared 
for  it  tenderly  all  winter  long ;  teaching  it  to  take 
crumbs  from  her  hand  and  her  lips,  and  to  sit  on 
her  shoulder  while  she  was  working. 

In  the  spring  she  opened  the  window  for  it  to 
fly  away,  but  it  lived  in  the  woods  near  by  all 
summer,  and  came  often  in  the  early  morning  to 
sing  its  sweetest  songs  at  her  door. 


He  prayeth  best  who  loveth  best 
All  things,  both  great  and  small ; 
For  the  dear  God  who  loveth  us. 
He  made  and  loveth  all. 

.  -  —  Samuel  Taylor  Coleridge 


-<8  79  B«- 


DIAMONDS  AND   TOADS 


,?l'der 

po  llt^' 

nat'u  ral  1^ 

proud 

e^s'I  ly 

grum'bling 

jew'el 

dis  lik^' 

ser'pents 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  woman  who  had 
two  daughters.  The  elder  daughter  was  very 
much  like  her  mother  in  face  and  manner.  They 
were  both  so  disagreeable  and  so  proud  that  there 
was  no  living  with  them. 

The  younger  daughter  was  like  her  father; 
for  she  was  good  and  sweet  tempered,  and  very 
beautiful.  As  people  naturally  love  their  own 
likeness,  the  mother  was  very  fond  of  her  elder 
daughter,  and  at  the  same  time  had  a  great  dis- 
like for  the  younger.  She  made  her  eat  in  the 
kitchen,  and  work  all  the  time. 

Among  other  things,  this  poor  child  was  obliged 
to  go  twice  a  day  to  draw  a  pitcherful  of  water 
from  the  spring  in  the  woods,  two  miles  from  the 
house. 

One  day,  when  she  reached  the  spring,  a  poor 
woman  came  to  her  and  begged  for  a  drink. 


-^  80  »- 

^'  Oh  yes!  with  all  my  heart,  Goody,"  said  this 
pretty  little  girl;  and  she  took  some  clear,  cool 
water  from  the  spring,  and  held  up  the  pitcher  so 
that  the  woman  might  drink  easily. 

When  she  had  finished,  the  woman  said,  *' You 


are  so  very  pretty,  my  dear,  so  good  and  so  kind, 
that  I  cannot  help  giving  you  a  gift." 

Now  this  was  a  fairy,  who  had  taken  the  form 
of  a  poor  country  woman  to  see  how  this  pretty 
girl  would  treat  her.  *'  I  will  give  you  for  a  gift," 
continued  the  fairy,  ^'that  at  every  word  you 
speak,  either  a  flower  or  a  jewel  shall  come  out 
of  your  mouth." 


-»9  81  8«- 

When  the  girl  reached  home,  her  mother  scolded 
her  for  staying  so  long  at  the  spring.  **  I  beg 
your  pardon,  Mamma/'  said  the  poor  girl,  **for 
not  making  more  haste ;  "  and  as  she  spoke,  there 
came  out  of  her  mouth  two  roses,  two  pearls,  and 
two  large  diamonds. 

**What  is  it  I  see  there  ?'^  said  her  mother, 
very  much  surprised.  '^  I  think  I  see  pearls  and 
diamonds  come  out  of  the  girl's  mouth!  How 
does  this  happen,  my  child?  '^  This  was  the  first 
time  she  had  ever  called  her ''  my  child,''  or  spoken 
kindly  to  her. 

The  poor  child  told  her  mother  all  that  had 
happened  at  the  spring,  and  of  the  old  woman's 
promise.  All  the  time  jewels  and  flowers  fell 
from  her  lips. 

''  This  is  delightful,"  cried  the  mother;  ''  I  must 
send  my  dearest  child  to  the  spring.  Come,  Fanny, 
see  what  comes  out  of  your  sister's  mouth  when 
she  speaks !  Would  you  not  be  glad,  my  dear,  to 
have  the  same  gift  given  to  you  ?  All  you  will 
have  to  do  is  to  take  the  pitcher  to  the  spring  in 
the  wood.  When  a  poor  woman  asks  you  for  a 
drink,  give  it  to  her." 


-«  82  8«- 

'*It  would  be  a  fine  thing  for  me  to  do/'  said 
the  selfish  girl.  ''I  will  not  go  to  draw  water! 
The  child  can  give  me  her  jewels.  She  does  not 
need  them.'' 

**Yes,  you  shall/'  said  the  mother,  '^and  you 
shall  go  this  minute." 

At  last  the  elder  daughter  went,  grumbling  and 
scolding  all  the  way,  and  taking  with  her  the  best 
silver  pitcher  in  the  house. 

She  had  no  sooner  reached  the  spring  than  she 
saw  a  beautiful  lady  coming  out  of  the  wood,  who 
came  up  to  her  and  asked  her  for  a  drink.  This 
was,  you  must  know,  the  same  fairy  who  had  met 
her  sister,  but  who  had  now  taken  the  form  of  a 
princess. 

**  I  did  not  come  out  here  to  serve  you  with 
water,"  said  the  proud,  selfish  maid.  **Do  you 
think  I  brought  this  silver  pitcher  so  far  just  to 
give  you  a  drink  ?  You  can  draw  water  from  the 
spring  as  well  as  I." 

''You  are  not  very  polite,"  said  the  fairy. 
*'  Since  you  are  so  rude  and  so  unkind,  I  give  you 
for  a  gift,  that  at  every  word  which  you  speak 
toads  and  serpents  shall  come  out  of  your  mouth," 


^  83  8«- 

As  soon  as  the  mother  saw  her  daughter  coming, 
she  cried  out,  **  Well,  my  dear  child,  did  you  see 
the  good  fairy? '' 

**  Yes,  Mother,'^  answered  the  proud  girl,  and  as 
she  spoke,  two  serpents  and  two  toads  fell  from 
her  mouth. 


"  What  is  this  that  I  see  ? ''  cried  the  mother. 
*'  What  have  you  done ! '' 

The  girl  tried  to  answer,  but  at  every  word 
toads  and  serpents  came  from  her  lips. 

And  so  it  was  forever  after.  Jewels  and  flowers 
fell  from  the  lips  of  the  younger  daughter,  who  was 
so  good  and  kind ;  but  the  elder  daughter  could 
not  speak  without  a  shower  of  serpents  and  toads. 

—  Chablbs  Pkrrault. 


I  REMEMBER,  I  REMEMBER 

I  remember,  I  remember 

The  house  where  I  was  born, 
The  little  window  where  the  sun 

Came  peeping  in  at  morn ; 
He  never  came  a  wink  too  soon, 

Nor  brought  too  long  a  day ; 
But  now,  I  often  wish  the  night 

Had  borne  my  breath  away. 

I  remember,  I  remember 

The  roses,  red  and  white, 
The  violets,  and  the  lily-cups  — 

Those  flowers  made  of  light ! 
The  lilacs  where  the  robin  built, 

And  where  my  brother  set 
The  laburnum  on  his  birthday,  — 

The  tree  is  living  yet  I 

I  remember,  I  remember 
Where  I  was  used  to  swing, 

And  thought  the  air  must  rush  as  fresh 
To  swallows  on  the  wing ; 


-«  85  8<- 

My  spirit  flew  in  feathers  then, 

That  is  so  heavy  now, 
And  summer  pools  could  hardly  eool 

The  fever  on  my  brow. 

I  remember,  I  remember 

The  fir-trees  dark  and  high ; 
I  used  to  think  their  slender  tops 

Were  close  against  the  sky : 
It  was  a  childish  ignorance, 

But  now  'tis  little  joy 
To  know  I'm  farther  off  from  Heaven 

Than  when  I  was  a  boy. 

—  Thomas  Hood. 


-»8  86  9i- 

BOYS  AND   GIRLS  OF  HOLLAND 

dik^  glo'ri  fziiis  miis'lin 

stilts  in  dus'tri  (zitis  leng'th^n 

clogs  exact'ly-  pe^s'ants 

ca  nal'  pat't^ns  trun'dlj^ 

Holland  is  a  very  strange  country.  In  fact  it 
is  different  from  every  other  country  in  the  world. 

In  the  first  place,  a  large  part  of  the  land  is 
lower  than  the  level  of  the  sea;  and  the  people 
have  built  great  walls,  called  dikes,  to  keep  the 
ocean  from  flooding  their  homes.  These  dikes  are 
high  and  wide,  and  are  sometimes  covered  with 
buildings  and  trees. 

There  is  so  much  water  and  so  little  land  that 
many  persons  are  born,  live  and  die,  and  even 
have  their  gardens,  on  canal-boats.  Farm-houses 
stand  on  stilts ;  and  the  horses  wear  wooden  clogs 
on  each  hoof  to  keep  them  out  of  the  mud. 

It  is  a  glorious  country  for  the  children.  In 
summer  there  is  wading,  swimming,  fishing,  and 
rowing ;  in  winter,  skating  and  boating  on  the  ice. 

But  the  children  are  as  strange  as  the  country. 
They  have  little  time  for  play,  and  are  so  indus- 


■^31  d^ 


BOYS  AND   GIRLS   OF   HOLLAND 


-•8  88  B«- 

triouvS  that  even  while  they  play  they  work.  Such 
busy  little  ones  they  are ! 

'  Tiny  girls  help  their  mothers  with  the  butter 
and  cheese-making.  Very  small  boys  work  with 
their  fathers  on  the  canal-boats,  or  go  with  them 
far  out  to  sea  in  fishing-boats. 

Boys  trundle  through  the  streets  carts  laden 
with  brooms,  brushes,  wooden  shoes,  cheeses, 
baskets,  or  tin-ware.  These  small  peddlers,  clad 
exactly  like  their  fathers  and  grandfathers,  look 
like  little  men. 

From  the  time  a  boy  is  big  enough  to  walk  until 
he  is  an  old  man,  he  wears  the  same  style  of 
clothes.  His  jacket  and  long  trousers  are  black, 
his  coarse  woollen  stockings  are  black ;  and  his 
shoes  are  painted  or  unpainted  wooden  pattens. 

The  girls  wear  white  muslin  caps  and  little 
shawls  crossed  over  their  shoulders.  Every  girl 
wears  a  coarse  blue  apron  over  her  long  black 
dress,  black  woollen  stockings,  and  white  wooden 
pattens. 

The  black  stockings  are  hand-knit,  and  when 
the  girls  are  not  helping  their  mothers  they  are 
almost  always  knitting.     Woollen  stockings  just 


-•9  89  8€- 

begun,  half  done,  or  nearly  finished  hang  at  their 
sides,  and  whenever  they  stand  still  for  a  few 
minutes  their  fingers  are  busy. 

They  soon  learn  to  knit  without  looking  at  their 
needles,  and  as  they  watch  the  ships  at  sea,  or 
the  other  children  at  play,  these  stockings  slowly 
lengthen. 

The  Holland  mothers  are  very  neat,  and  the 
children,  and  grown  people,  too,  must  leave  their 
wooden  pattens  at  the  door.  When  all  the  family 
is  within,  there  is  often  a  long  line  of  shoes  in  front 
of  the  house. 

One  can  even  tell  where  the  schoolrooms  are 
by  the  heaps  of  small  pattens,  for  every  child 
slips  off  his  heavy  wooden  shoes  before  enter- 
ing the  cleanly  scrubbed  room. 

All  this  is  true  only  of  the  children  of  the  poor 
people,  or  peasants  as  they  are  called.  The 
children  of  the  rich  people  of  Holland  dress,  and 
live,  and  play  very  much  as  you  do. 


-«  90  8*' 


nump 

an'gry 

rus^l^d 

er'rand 

Cfzlur'ag^ 


THE  LEAK  IN  THE  DIKE 

variant  sluice 

swollen  per  mis'sion 

no'tiQ^d  crouch'ing 

drowned  dan'ger  ^iis 

ch  at '  t  er^  d  trick '  Img 


Many  years  ago  there  lived 
in   Holland   a   brave,  happy 
little   boy  whose   name  was 
Peter. 

Peter's   father   was   a   sluicer, 

- ,      *        ■   -- 

ijf^^  "^    that  is,  a  man  who  watched  the 

^jM/J"  .  sluices,  or  gates,  in  the  dikes  and  opened 

^^'^^        and  closed  them  for  the  ships  to  pass 

out  of  the  canals  into  the  great  sea. 


-«  91  8«- 

Even  the  little  children  were  taught  that  the 
dikes  must  be  watched  every  moment,  and  that  a 
hole  no  larger  than  your  little  finger  was  a  very 
dangerous  thing. 

One  lovely  afternoon  in  the  early  fall,  when 
Peter  was  eight  years  old,  his  mother  called  him 
from  his  play.  ''  Come,  Peter,"  she  said,  ''  I  wish 
you  to  go  across  the  dike  and  take  these  cakes 
to  your  friend,  the  blind  man.  If  you  go  quickly, 
and  do  not  stop  to  play,  you  will  be  home  again 
before  it  is  dark." 

The  little  boy  was  glad  to  go  on  such  an  errand, 
and  started  off  with  a'  light  heart.  He  stayed 
with  the  poor  blind  man  a  little  while  to  tell 
him  about  his  walk  along  the  dike ;  of  the  sun 
and  the  flowers  and  the  ships  far  out  at  sea. 
Then  he  remembered  his  mother's  wish  that  he 
should  return  before  dark,  and  bidding  his  friend 
**  Good-by,"  he  set  out  for  home. 

As  he  walked  beside  the  canal,  he  noticed  how 
the  rains  had  swollen  the  waters,  and  how  they 
beat  against  the  side  of  the  dike,  and  he  thought 
of  his  father's  gates. 

*'  I  am  glad  they  are  so  strong,"  he  said  to  him- 


self.  *'  If  they  gave  way  what  would  become  of 
us?  These  pretty  fields  would  be  covered  with 
water.  Father  always  calls  them  the  'angry 
waters.'  I  suppose  he  thinks  they  are  angry  at 
him  for  keeping  them  out  so  long.'' 

As  he  walked  along  he  sometimes  stopped  to 
pick  the  pretty  blue  flowers  that  grew  beside  the 
road,  or  to  listen  to  the  rabbits'  soft  tread  as  they 
rustled  through  the  grass.  But  oftener  he  smiled 
as  he  thought  of  his  visit  to  the  poor  blind  man 
who  had  so  few  pleasures  and  was  always  so  glad 
to  see  him. 

Suddenly  he  noticed  that  the  sun  was  setting, 
and  that  it  was  growing  dark.  **  Mother  will  be 
watching  for  me,"  he  thought,  and  he  began  to 
run  toward  home. 

Just  then  he  heard  a  noise.  It  was  the  sound 
of  trickling  water !  He  stopped  and  looked  down. 
There  was  a  small  hole  in  the  dike,  through  which 
a  tiny  stream  was  flowing. 

Any  child  in  Holland  is  frightened  at  the 
thought  of  a  leak  in  the  dike. 

Peter  understood  the  danger  at  once.  If  the 
water  ran  through  a  little  hole  it  would  soon  make 


-»9  93  8«- 


a  larger  one,  and  the  whole  country  would  be 
flooded.  In  a  moment  he  saw  what  he  must  do. 
Throwing  away  his  flowers,  he  climbed  down  the 
side  of  the  dike  and  thrust 
his  finger  into  the  tiny  hole. 

The  flowing  of  the  water 
was  stopped ! 

''  Oho  ! ''  he  said  to  him- 
self. '^  The  angry  waters  .f>M 
must  stay  back  now.  I  can 
keep  them  back  with  my  fin- 
ger. Holland  shall  not  be 
drowned  while  I  am  here." 

This  was  all  very  well  at 
first,  but  it  soon  grew  dark 
and  cold.  The  little  fel- 
low shouted  and  screamed. 
"Come  here;  come  here," 
he  called ;  but  no  one  heard  j'^'^^^^^l 
him;  no  one  came  to  help 
him. 

It  grew  still  colder,  and  his  arm  ached,  and 
began  to  grow  stiff  and  numb.  He  shouted  again, 
"  Will  no  one  come  ?     Mother !     Mother  I  '^ 


-98  94  8«- 

But  his  mother  had  looked  anxiously  along  the 
dike  read  many  times  since  sunset,  for  her  little 
boy,  and  now  she  had  closed  and  locked  the  cot- 
tage door,  thinking  that  Peter  was  spending  the 
night  with  his  blind  friend,  and  that  she  would 
scold  him  in  the  morning  for  staying  away  from 
home  without  her  permission. 

Peter  tried  to  whistle,  but  his  teeth  chattered 
with  the  cold.  He  thought  of  his  brother  and 
sister  in  their  warm  beds,  and  of  his  dear  father 
and  mother.  ''  I  must  not  let  them  be  drowned,  ^^ 
he  thought.  ''  I  must  stay  here  until  some  one 
comes,  if  I  have  to  stay  all  night.'' 

The  moon  and  stars  looked  down  on  the  child 
crouching  on  a  stone  on  the  side  of  the  dike.  His 
head  was  bent,  and  his  eyes  were  closed,  but 
he  was  not  asleep,  for  every  now  and  then  he 
rubbed  the  hand  that  was  holding  back  the  angry 
sea. 

In  the  early  morning,  a  laborer  going  to  his 
work  thought  he  heard  a  groan,  as  he  walked  along 
on  the  top  of  the  dike.  Bending  down  he  saw  the 
child,  and  called  to  him:  *'What  is  the  matter, 
boy  ?    Are  you  hurt  ?    Why  are  you  sitting  there  ?  '' 


^e  95  8i- 

'*I  am  keeping  the  water  from  running  in,"  was 
the  answer  of  the  little  hero.  *'  Tell  them  to  come 
quickly." 

'Tis  many  a  year  since  then ;  but  still, 

When  the  sea  roars  like  a  flood, 
The  boys  are  taught  what  a  boy  can  do 

"Who  is  brave,  and  true,  and  good. 
For  every  man  in  that  country 

Takes  his  son  by  the  hand, 
And  tells  him  of  little  Peter, 

Whose  courage  saved  the  land. 

They  have  many  a  valiant  hero 

Eemembered  through  the  years ; 
But  never  one  whose  name  so  oft 

Is  named  with  loving  tears. 
And  his  deed  shall  be  sung  by  the  cradle 

And  told  the  child  on  the  knee. 
So  long  as  the  dikes  of  Holland 

Divide  the  land  from  the  sea. 

—  Ph(bbk  Cabv. 


-^  96  B«- 

THE   STORKS 

st8rk 

ger'ta^n  ly 

de  li^^t'fiil 

E'gypt 

ques'tioned 

pyr'a  mids 

clum'sy 

barang^ 

ex  cla;rm^d' 

imag'm^ 

a]/i'tum:ji 

for'eign 

On  the  last  house  in 
the  village  there  lay 
a  stork's  nest.  The 
mother  stork  sat  in  it 
with  her  four  little 
ones,  who  were  stretch- 
ing out  their  heads  with  the  pointed  black  bills 
that  had  not  yet  turned  red. 

At  a  little  distance,  on  the  top  of  the  roof, 
stood  the  father  stork.  He  held  one  leg  up,  and 
stood  on  the  other,  stiff  and  straight. 

''  It  must  look  very  grand  for  my  wife  to  have 
a  soldier  to  guard  the  nest,''  he  thought. 


-«  97  8«- 

In  the  street  below  some  children  were  playing ; 
and,  when  they  caught  sight  of  the  storks,  one  of 
the  boys  sang  the  old  song  about  the  stork,  and 
the  others  soon  joined  him  in  it. 

^^  Stork,  stork,  fly  away  ; 
Stand  not  on  one  leg  to-day. 
Thy  dear  wife  sits  in  the  nest^ 
With  the  little  ones  at  rest, 

There^s  a  halter  for  one  ; 
There'' s  a  stake  for  another; 
For  the  third  there's  a  gun  ; 
And  a  spit  for  his  brother! '' 

*'  Only  listen !  "  said  the  young  storks.  ''  Hear 
what  the  boys  are  singing.  Do  you  hear  them 
say  we're  to  be  hanged  and  shot? '' 

*'Do  not  listen  to  them,''  replied  the  mother. 
**  They  will  not  hurt  you." 

But  the  boys  went  on  singing,  and  pointed  at 
the  father  stork.  Only  one  boy,  whom  they  called 
Peter,  said  it  was  a  shame  to  make  fun  of  the 
birds,  and  would  not  join  in  the  singing. 

The  mother  stork  tried  to  comfort  the  young 


-98  98  Si- 
ones.     '*  Don't  be  afraid,"  she  said.     **See  hoTV 
still  your  father  stands  on  one  leg." 

''But  we  are  afraid,"  said  the  little  ones  draw- 
ing back  their  beaks  into  the  nest. 


The  children  were  playing  in  the  street  the  next 
morning,  and  no  sooner  did  they  see  the  storks 
than  they  began  their  song :  — 


**  Stork,  stork,  fly  away  ; 
Stand  not  on  one  leg  to-day. 


77 


''Tell  us,  will  the  boys  really  hurt  us?"  asked 
the  young  storks. 

"  No,  no ;  certainly  not.  Tou  are  to  learn  to 
fly,  and  I  will  teach  you.  Then  we  shall  pay  a 
visit  to  the  frogs.  They  will  bow  to  us  and 
sing  'Croak!  croak!'  and  we  shall  eat  them." 

"  And  then  what  will  happen  ?  "  questioned  the 
young  storks. 

"  Oh,  then  all  the  storks  in  the  land  will  meet, 


and  the  autumn  sports  will  begin.  Then  you 
must  be  able  to  fly  well,  for  if  you  cannot,  you 
will  be  punished  by  the  stork  captain.'' 

*'  Yes,  but  then,  after  that,  we  shall  be  killed, 
as  the  boys  say.     Hark!  they  are  singing  again." 

'*  Listen  to  me,  and  not  to  them,'^  said  the 
mother  stork.  **  After  that  we  shall  fly  away  to 
warm  countries,  far  from  here,  over  hills  and  for- 
ests. To  Egypt  we  shall  fly,  where  the  three- 
cornered  houses  of  stone  stand,  one  point  of 
which  reaches  almost  to  the  clouds.  They  are 
called  pyramids,  and  are  older  than  a  stork  can 
imagine.  In  that  land  there  is  a  river  which  over- 
flows its  banks  and  turns  the  country  into  mire. 
Then  we  go  into  the  mire  and  eat  the  frogs." 

*'  Oh !  oh ! "  exclaimed  all  the  young  storks. 

"  Yes,  indeed ;  it  is  a  delightful  place.  There 
is  nothing  to  do  all  day  long  but  eat.  And  while 
we  are  feasting  there,  not  a  green  leaf  is  left  on 
the  trees  in  this  country.  It  is  so  cold  here  that 
the  very  clouds  freeze  in  lumps,  or  fall  down  in 
little  white  feathers.'' 

It  was  hail  and  snow  that  she  meant,  but  she 
did  not  know  how  to  say  it. 


-•8  100  B^ 

**  And  do  the  naughty  boys  freeze  ?  " 

"  No,  they  will  not  freeze,  but  they  will  be  very 
cold,  and  they  will  stay  in  the  house,  while  you 
will  be  flying  about  in  foreign  lands,  where  there 
are  bright  flowers  and  warm  sunshine/^ 

Some  time  had  now  passed  by,  and  the  nest- 
lings had  grown  so  large  and  strong  that  they 
could  stand  upright  in  the  nest.  Every  day  the 
father  stork  came  with  frogs  and  all  the  dainties 
that  storks  delight  in.  How  funny  it  was  to  see 
the  things  he  did  to  amuse  them.  He  could  lay 
his  head  around  upon  his  tail;  he  could  clatter 
with  his  beak,  as  if  it  were  a  rattle ;  or  he  could 
tell  them  stories  about  the  swamps  and  fens. 

"  Come,  my  children,^'  said  the  mother  stork  one 
day,  '*now  you  must  learn  to  fly.^'  And  all  the 
four  young  ones  had  to  go  out  on  the  ridge  of  the 
roof.  How  they  did  totter  and  stagger  about! 
They  tried  to  balance  themselves  with  their 
wings,  but  they  came  very  near  falling. 

**  Look  at  me! ''  said  the  mother.  ''This  is  the 
way  to  hold  your  head.  And  this  is  the  way  you 
must  place  your  feet.  Left!  right!  left!  right  I 
That  is  what  will  help  you  on  in  the  world. '^ 


-^  101  8€- 

Then  she  flew  a  little  way,  and  the  young  ones 
took  a  clumsy  little  leap.  Bump !  plump !  down 
they  fell ;  for  their  wings  were  too  weak  to  fly. 

**I  will  not  fly/^  said  one  of  the  young  storks, 
as  it  crept  back  to  the  nest.  ''I  do  not  wish  to 
go  to  warm  countries.'^ 

''  Would  you  like  to  stay  here  and  freeze  when 
the  winter  comes?  Will  you  wait  till  the  boys 
come  to  hang  you?     Well,  then,  Til  call  them.'' 

^'  Oh,  no ! ''  cried  the  timid  stork,  hopping  back 
to  the  roof  with  the  rest. 

On  the  third  day  they  did  begin  to  fly  a  little. 
Then  they  thought  that  they  could  soar  in  the  air. 
And  this  they  attempted,  but  down  they  fell,  flap- 
ping their  wings  as  hard  as  they  could. 

Now  the  boys  came  again  to  the  street,  and 
sang  the  storks  their  song :  — 

^'  Stork,  stork,  fly  away  ; 
Stand  not  on  one  leg  to-day. ^^ 

''  Shall  we  fly  down  and  peck  them? ''  asked  the 
young  ones. 

"No,  let  them  alone.  Listen  to  me.  One  — 
two  —  three  !      Now  we  fly  around  to  the  right. 


^  102  8«- 

One  —  two^ — three!  Now  to  the  left,  around 
the  chimney.  There !  that  was  very  well  done. 
Now  you  may  fly  with  me  to  the  marsh. '^ 

*'But  shall  we  not  punish  the  naughty  boys?  ^' 

**  No,  no  ;  let  them  sing.  You-  are  to  fly  up  to 
the  clouds  and  away  to  the  land  of  the  pyramids, 
while  they  are  freezing  and  can  neither  see  a 
green  leaf  nor  taste  a  sweet  apple.'' 

When  the  autumn  came,  all  the  storks  met  in 
the  great  meadow,  ready  to  start  together  for  the 
warm  country  across  the  sea,  leaving  winter  be- 
hind them.     And  such  drills  as  there  were ! 

All  the  young  storks  had  to  fly  over  forests  and 
villages,  to  see  if  they  were  equal  to  the  long 
journey  that  was  before  them.  Our  young  storks 
flew  higher  and  faster  than  any  others,  and  the 
stork  captain  praised  them  and  gave  them  a  prize. 

—  Hans  Christian  Andersen. 


-^  103  8€- 


THE  SEA 


The  sea,  the  sea,  the  open  sea, 

The  blue,  the  fresh,  the  ever  free ! 

Without  a  mark,  without  a  bound. 

It  runneth  the  earth's  wide  regions  round ; 

It  plays  with  the  clouds ;  it  mocks  the  skies 

Or  like  a  cradled  creature  lies. 

Fm  on  the  sea !     I'm  on  the  sea ! 

I  am  where  I  would  ever  be ; 

With  the  blue  above,  and  the  blue  below, 

And  silence  wheresoever  I  go : 

If  a  storm  should  come  and  awake  the  deep, 

What  matter  ?     I  shall  ride  and  sleep. 

I  love,  oh,  how  I  love,  to  ride 
On  the  fierce,  foaming,  bursting  tide. 
When  every  mad  wave  drowns  the  moon, 
Or  whistles  aloft  his  tempest  tune. 
And  tells  how  goeth  the  world  below. 
And  why  the  souVest  blasts  do  blow ! 


-«  104  8«- 

I  never  was  on  the  dull,  tame  shore, 
But  I  loved  the  great  sea  more  and  more, 
And  backward  flew  to  her  billowy  breast, 
Like  a  bird  that  seeketh  its  mother's  nest: 
And  a  mother  she  was  and  is  to  me ; 
For  I  was  born  on  the  open  sea. 

The  waves  were  white,  and  red  the  morn, 
In  the  noisy  hour  when  I  was  born ; 
And  the  whale  it  whistled,  the  porpoise  rolled. 
And  the  dolphins  bared  their  backs  of  gold ; 
And  never  was  heard  such  an  outcry  wild 
As  welcomed  to  life  the  ocean-child ! 

Fve  lived  since  then,  in  calm  and  strife, 
Full  fifty  summers  a  sailor's  life, 
"With  wealth  to  spend,  and  a  power  to  range. 
But  never  have  sought,  nor  sighed  for  change ; 
And  Death,  whenever  he  come  to  me. 
Shall  come  on  the  wide,  unbounded  sea ! 

—Barry  Cornwall 


-»8105  8«- 


EASTER  IN  GERMANY 

g]iitar'  fliif'fy  choc'olat^ 

ISck'ets  rib'bon  viriag  ers 

duch'ess  e^'ger  ly  glee'fiil  ly 


Easter  Sunday  is  coming  soon,  and  the  boys 
and  girls  in  Germany  are  as  happy  as  you  are  at 
Christmas  time,  for  the  Easter  Hare  is  as  generous 
^s  Saint  Nicholas,  and  brings  them  many  gifts. 

They  run  up  and  down  the  streets  looking 
eagerly  into  the  shop  windows. 

Now  they  stop  before  one  of  them.  Here  are 
eggs  of  all  sizes  and  colors ;  red  eggs,  yellow  eggs, 


-^  106  8*- 

blue  eggs ;  eggs  made  of  sugar  and  of  chocolate ; 
candy  eggs,  tied  with  ribbons  and  decorated  with 
pretty  pictures. 

**  Come  here,  look,  look !  ^^  cries  Gretchen ;  and 
the  children  hurry  to  the  next  window.  There 
fluffy  yellow  chicks  peep  out  at  them  from  broken 
shells,  and  little  white  lambs  stand  near  by,  with 
ribbons  and  bells  around  their  necks. 

Tiny  goats  are  playing  on  guitars,  and  here  and 
there  little  egg-shell  carriages  are  drawn  by  goats 
and  driven  by  baby  rabbits. 

At  the  toy  shops  all  these  things  are  found, 
and  many  more.  A  hare  mother  rocks  her  little 
one  in  an  egg-shell  cradle ;  toy  wheel-barrows 
filled  with  eggs  are  trundled  by  tiny  hares  ;  and 
rabbits  watch  over  nests  full  of  eggs,  or  hold  an 
egg-shell  from  which  a  chicken  is  peeping. 

All  the  shop  windows  contain  eggs  of  one  kind 
or  another.  Besides  sugar  and  chocolate  eggs 
there  are  eggs  of  soap  and  glass ;  egg-shaped  bas- 
kets and  boxes  filled  with  candy;  wooden  and 
china  eggs,  and  even  tiny  egg-shaped  lockets 
made  of  gold  and   silver. 

In   the   market-place   women   sell    hard-boiled 


-»8  107  8«- 

eggs  of  every  color,  as  well  as  the  candy  chickens 
and  hares. 

Eggs  and  chickens  are  seen  at  Easter-time  in 
many  countries,  but  the  hare  is  more  often  seen 
in  Germany  than  in  any  other  place. 

What  can  the  rabbit  and  the  hare  have  to  do 
with  Easter,  do  you  ask?  I  do  not  know,  but 
little  Gretchen  will  tell  you  that  the  hares  lay 
the  Easter  eggs. 

Strange  hares  they  must  be,  but  the  children 
believe  in  the  Easter  Hare  as  truly  as  you  believe 
in  Saint  Nicholas. 

^'  Many  hundred  years  ago,"  their  mothers  tell 
them,  ''  a  duchess  was  obliged  to  leave  her  home 
in  the  city  and  live  in  a  small  mining  village  in 
the  mountains. 

**Her  two  little  children  went  with  her,  and 
although  the  village  people  were  kind  to  them, 
they  were  often  hungry. 

**]S"o  meat  was  to  be  found  in  the  village,  no 
fish  of  any  kind,  and  not  even  an  egg,  for  in  all 
the  town  there  was  not  one  hen. 

"  So,  one  day,  the  duchess  sent  a  man  to  the 
city,  telling  him  to  bring  back  a  coop  full  of  hens. 


-€  108  e«- 

'*  When  he  returned,  the  people  were  surprised 
and  delighted,  for  they  had  never  even  heard  of 
such  strange  birds. 

a  The  good  lady  saved  the  eggs  for  many  days. 
Then  she  cooked  them  and  made  a  feast  for  the 
poor  villagers.  She  also  taught  the  women  how 
to  cook  the  eggs  for  themselves,  and  gave  each 
one  of  them  two  or  three  chickens,  sending  them 
home  grateful  and  happy. 

**At  Easter-time  the  duchess  wished  to  do 
something  to  please  the  children.  She  had 
nothing  but  eggs  to  give  them,  however,  not  even 
an  apple  or  a  nut.  So  she  saved  all  the  egg-shells 
for  many  days  and  boiled  them  in  colored  dyes, 
making  them  red,  blue  and  yellow. 

''  On  Easter  Monday  she  invited  all  the  little 
ones  to  go  with  her  to  the  woods.  Then  she  told 
them  to  make  nests  of  twigs  and  moss  and  hide 
them  in  the  bushes. 

'*When  this  was  done  she  led  the  children  to 
her  cottage  and  gave  them  a  feast  of  eggs  and 
cakes.  '  Now  run  and  look  in  the  hidden  nests,' 
she  said,  and  they  hurried  away  to  the  woods 
again. 


-^  109  8«- 


EASTER  IN   GERMANY 


"What  do  you  think  they  found?  In  each 
nest  lay  five  beautiful  eggs,  —  two  red,  two  yel- 
low, and  one  as  blue  as  the  sky. 

"  *  How  wonderful  the  hens  must  be,  to  lay  such 
lovely  eggs ! '  said  one  of  the  little  girls.  *  I  wish 
our  hens  would  lay  such  pretty  eggs.^ 

"  *  The  hens  could  not  lay  these  eggs,'  said 
another.  *It  must  have  been  the  hare  that 
jumped  into  the  bushes  when  I  hid  my  nest  in 
the  tall  grass/ 

"  The  children  laughed  gleefully.  '  Yes,  yes ! ' 
they  cried.  *  The  hares  lay  the  pretty  eggs.  The 
dear  little  hares  lay  the  colored  eggs.' 

"  And  they  said  it  over  and  over  until  they 
began  to  believe  it  themselves." 

To  this  day  the  children  in  Germany  make 
nests  at  Easter-time  of  moss  and  twigs,  which 
they  hide  in  the  house  or  garden.  On  Easter 
morning  they  jump  out  of  bed  as  soon  as  it  is 
light  to  see  what  the  good  little  hare  has 
brought. 

They  find  not  only  boiled  eggs  and  colored  egg- 
shells, but  often  sugar  eggs  and  egg-shaped  boxes 
filled  with  candy  and  pretty  gifts. 


^lllSi- 


THE  FLAX 


c61  lect'  tat'ters  f6r'tu  nat^ 

Sj^is'sors  com|i^d  pa^n'fiil 

ver'ses  del'icat^  refresh'es 

The  flax  was  in  full  bloom ;  it  had  pretty  little 
blue  flowers  as  delicate  as  the  wings  of  a  moth. 

The  sun  shone  on  the  flax,  and  the  rain  watered 
it;  and  this  was  as  good  for  it  as  it  is  for  little 
children  to  be  washed  and  kissed  by  their  mothers. 
They  look  much  prettier  for  it,  and  so  did  the 
flax. 

*' People  say  that  I  look  very  well/'  said  the 
flax,  ''and  that  I  am  so  fine  and  long  I  shall 
make  a  beautiful  piece  of  linen.  How  fortunate 
I  am!  I  am  certainly  the  happiest  of  beings. 
How  the  sunshine  gladdens  me,  and  how  the 
rain  refreshes  me !  No  one  in  the  world  can  be 
happier  than  I  am." 

*' Oh-  yes!''  said  the  fence-post,  "you  may 
grow  and  be  happy,  and  you  may  sing,  but  you 
do  not  know  the  world  as  well  as  I  do,  for  I  have 
knots  in  me ;  "  and  then  it  creaked  mournfully :  — 


^112  91- 


u 


Snipy  snapy  snurrey 

Basse  lurre. 

The  song  is  endedr 

"No,  it  is  not  ended/'  said  the  flax.  ** To- 
morrow the  sun  will  shine,  or  the  rain  will  fall. 
I  feel  that  I  am  growing.  I  feel  that  I  have 
many  flowers.     I  am  the  happiest  of  all  beings." 


-\^  "V 


But  one  day  some  men  came,  who  took  the 
flax  by  the  head  and  cut  it  oflf  at  the  roots; 
this  was  painful. 

Then  it  was  laid  in  water,  as  if  it  were  to  be 


-«  113  8«- 

drowned ;  and  after  that  it  was  put  on  a  fire,  as 
if  it  were  to  be  roasted.     All  this  was  frightful. 

''  One  cannot  be  happy  always/^  said  the  flax. 
"By  having  bad  times  as  well  as  good,  we  become 
wise.''  And  certainly  bad  times  came  to  the 
flax.  It  was  steeped,  and  roasted,  and  broken, 
and  combed. 

Then  it  was  put  on  a  spinning-wheel.  '*  Whirr, 
whirr,  whirr,"  went  the  wheel,  so  fast  that  the 
flax  could  not  collect  his  thoughts. 

''  I  have  been  very  happy,"  he  said,  in  the  midst 
of  his  pain,  "  and  I  must  be  contented." 

At  last  he  was  put  on  the  loom,  and  then  he 
became  a  beautiful  piece  of  white  linen. 

All  the  flax,  even  to  the  last  stalk,  was  used 
in  making  this  one  piece.  ''This  is  truly  won- 
derful. How  fortunate  I  am!  The  fence-post 
was  right  with  its  song  of:  — 

**  '  Snip,  snap,  snurre, 
Basse  lurre.^ 

But  the  song  is  not  ended,  I  am  sure ;  it  is  only 
just  'begun.  How  wonderful  it  is  that,  after  all  I 
have  suffered,  I  am  at  last  made  into  a  piece  of 


-«  114  8«- 

linen.  I  am  the  happiest  being  in  the  world. 
How  strong  and  fine  I  am,  and  how  long  and 
white!  This  is  even  better  than  being  a  plant 
and  bearing  flowers.  I  cannot  be  happier  than  I 
am  now.'^ 

After  some  time  the  linen  was  taken  into  a 
house,  put  under  the  scissors,  cut  and  torn  into 
pieces,  and  then  pricked  with  needles.  That  was 
not  pleasant ;  but  at  last  the  linen  was  made  into 
twelve  pretty  white  aprons. 

*' See  now,''  said  the  flax,  "I  have  been  made 
into  something.  Now  I  shall  be  of  some  use  in 
the  world.  That  is  the  only  way  to  be  happy. 
I  have  been  cut  into  twelve  pieces,  and  yet  the 
same  flax  runs  through  every  piece.  How  strange 
it  is,  and  how  happy  I  am.'' 

.Years  passed  away.  At  last  the  linen  was  so 
worn  that  it  could  hardly  hold  together. 

*'The  end  must  come  soon,"  said  one  piece  to 
another.  ''  I  would  gladly  have  held  together  a 
little  longer,  but  it  is  impossible." 

So  the  linen  fell  into  rags  and  tatters,  and 
thought  that  the  end  had  come,  for  it  was  torn  to 
shreds,  and  boiled  in  water.      Then  it  was  made 


-^  115  8«- 


f ^rT"-\X 


into  pulp  and  dried,  and  at  length  it  became 
beautiful  white  paper. 

*^  Now  this  is  a  surprise,  a  glorious  surprise,'' 
said  the  paper.  **  I  am  finer  than  ever,  and  I 
shall  have  fine  things  written  upon  me.  This  is 
wonderful.     How  happy  I  am  !  " 

And  the  most  beautiful  stories  and  verses  were 
written  upon  it,  and  people  heard  the  stories  and 
verses  read,  and  it  made  them  wiser  and  better. 


-J8  116  81- 

•*I  never  dreamed  anything  like  this  when  1 
was  only  a  little  blue  flower  in  the  field/'  said  the 
paper.  **  How  could  I  imagine  that  I  should  bring 
knowledge  and  joy  to  men !  I  cannot  understand 
it  myself,  but  it  is  really  so.  Each  time  I  think 
that  the  song  is  ended,  and  then  it  begins  again 
in  some  higher  and  better  way.  Now  I  shall  be 
sent  all  over  the  world,  so  that  people  may  read 
me.  Once  I  had  blue  flowers,  and  now  I  have 
beautiful  thoughts.     I  am  happier  than  ever.'' 

But  the  paper  was  not  sent  on  its  travels.  It 
was  sent  to  the  printer,  and  all  the  words  written 
upon  it  were  set  up  into  type.  From  the  type 
hundreds  of  books  were  printed,  so  that  many 
more  persons  could  gain  pleasure  than  from  the 
written  paper.  For  if  the  paper  had  been  sent 
about  the  world,  it  would  have  been  worn  out 
before  it  had  half  finished  its  journey. 

*'This  is  the  wisest  way,"  thought  the  written 
paper.  ''  I  really  did  not  think  of  this.  I  shall 
stay  at  home  and  be  held  in  honor  like  an  old 
grandfather,  as  I  really  am  to  all  these  new  books. 
I  could  not  have  travelled  about  as  they  will. 
I  am  the  happiest  being  in  the  world." 


^  117  8«- 

Then  the  paper  was  tied  in  a  bundle  with  other 
papers  and  laid  on  a  shelf. 

**  After  work,  it  is  good  to  rest,"  said  the  paper. 
^*  Now  I  am  able,  for  the  first  time,  to  think  of 
my  life  and  all  the  good  that  I  have  done.  What 
will  become  of  me  now,  I  wonder.  Something 
will  surely  happen.  The  song  is  not  ended  yet, 
I  know." 

One  day  all  the  paper  on  the  shelf  was  taken 
down  and  laid  on  the  hearth  to  be  burned.  People 
said  it  could  not  be  sold  to  the  grocer  to  wrap  up 
butter  and  brown  sugar  because  it  was  covered 
with  writing. 

The  children  in  the  house  stood  round  the 
hearth,  for  they  wished  to  see  the  paper  blaze, 
and  afterward  to  watch  the  red  sparks  among 
the  ashes,  going  out  one  after  the  other. 

They  called  it  ''  seeing  the  children  come  out 
of  school,"  and  the  last  spark  was  the  "school- 
master." 

They  often  thought  the  last  spark  had  gone,  and 
one  would  cry,  "  There  goes  the  schoolmaster ! " 
but  the  next  moment  another  spark  would  appear, 
as  beautiful  and  bright  as  the  others. 


-»8  118  8«- 

The  whole  bundle  of  paper  had  been  placed  on 
the  fire.  ''  Oh,  oh  !  '^  it  cried,  as  it  burst  into  a 
bright  flame. 

The  flames  mounted  up  into  the  air,  higher 
than  the  flax  had  ever  been  able  to  raise  its  little 
blue  flowers ;  and  they  gleamed  as  the  white  linen 
had  never  been  able  to  gleam.  All  the  written 
letters  became  red  for  a  moment,  and  all  the  words 
and  thoughts  turned  to  fire. 

**Now  I  am  mounting  up  to  the  sun,'' said  a 
voice  in  the  flames,  as  they  darted  up  through 
the  chimney  and  went  out  at  the  top. 

Nothing  remained  of  the  paper  but  black  ashes, 
with  the  bright  red  sparks  dancing  over  them. 

*'The  children  are  coming  out  of  school,''  said 
the  boys  and  girls,  and  they  began  to  watch  for 
the  schoolmaster.  It  was  great  fun,  and  at  last 
they  sang  over  the  dead  ashes :  — 

**  Snip,  snap,  snurrey 
Basse  lurre, 
The  song  is  ended,^^ 

But  the  sparks  said,  ''The  song  is  never  ended; 
the  most  beautiful  is  yet  to  come." 

—  Hans  Christian  Andersbn  /Adapted). 


-98  119  B^ 


THE  LITTLE   FIR  TREE 


at'tic 

pe^s'ant 

gar'd^n  er 

no'tig^. 

splen'dgr 

with'er^d 

net'tl^s 

re  joi'gmg 

ras|J'ber  ri^s 

gil'ded 

tram'pling 

dis  con  ten'ted 

Far  away  in  the  forest  grew  a  little  fir  tree. 
The  sun  shone,  and  the  fresh  air  fluttered  its 
leaves,  but  the  little  tree  was  not  happy.  It 
wished  so  much  to  be  like  the  tall  pines  and  firs 
which  grew  around  it. 

Sometimes  the  peasant  children  brought  a  large 
basket  of  raspberries  or  strawberries,  strung  on 
straws,  and  seated  themselves  near  the  fir  tree. 
''  Is  it  not  a  pretty  little  tree?  '^  they  said.  This 
made  it  feel  even  more  unhappy  than  before. 

Still  the  tree  grew  a  joint  taller  every  year ;  for 
by  the  number  of  joints  on  the  branches  of  a  fir 
tree  we  can  tell  how  old  it  is. 

''  Oh,  how  I  wish  I  were  as  tall  as  the  other 
trees ! ''  sighed  the  little  tree.  ''  Then  I  would 
spread  my  branches  so  far,  and  overlook  the  wide 
world.     The  birds  would  build  their  nests  in  my 


^  120  d^ 

boughs,  and  when  the  wind  blew,  I  should  bow 
grandly,  like  my  tall  friends/' 

So  unhappy  was  the  tree  that  it  took  no  pleas- 
ure in  the  warm  sunshine,  the  birds,  or  the  red 
clouds  that  floated  over  it  morning  and  evening. 

When  it  was  winter  and  the  snow  lay  white  and 
glittering  on  the  ground,  a  little  hare  often  came 
springing  along,  and  jumped  right  over  the  little 
tree's  head.     Oh,  that  made  it  so  angry  I 

Two  winters  passed ;  and  when  the  third  came, 
the  tree  had  grown  so  tall  that  the  hare  was  obliged 
to  run  round  it.     Still  the  tree  was  not  satisfied. 


-^  121  Q^ 

*'  Oh !  to  grow,  to  grow !  "  thought  the  tree. 
''  To  be  tall  and  old  is  the  best  thing  in  the 
world/' 

In  the  autumn  the  woodcutters  came,  as  usual, 
and  cut  down  several  of  the  tallest  trees ;  and  the 
young  fir,  which  was  now  well  grown,  trembled  as 
the  trees  fell  to  the  earth  with  a  crash. 

After  the  branches  were  cut  off,  the  bare  trunks 
were  laid  upon  wagons  and  drawn  by  horses  out 
of  the  forest.  ''Where  were  they  going?  What 
would  become  of  them  ?  '^  the  young  fir  tree  wished 
very  much  to  know. 

In  the  spring  when  the  swallows  and  the  stbrks 
came,  the  tree  asked :  ''  Do  you  know  where  those 
trees  were  taken?     Did  you  meet  them?  '^ 

The  swallows  did  not  know ;  but  a  stork 
nodded  his  head,  and  said:  "Yes,  I  think  I  do. 
As  I  flew  over  the  sea  I  met  many  new  ships,  and 
they  had  fine  masts  that  smelled  like  fir.'' 

*'  Oh,  how  I  wish  I  were  tall  enough  to  go  on 
the  sea!"  said  the  fir  tree.  ''How  does  the  sea 
look,  and  what  is  it  like  ?  " 

*'It  would  take  too  long  to  tell  you,"  said  the 
stork,  flying  quickly  away. 


-»6  122  8«- 

**  Rejoice  in  thy  youth/^  said  the  sunbeams; 
**  rejoice  in  thy  growth  and  in  thy  young  life/^ 

The  wind  and  the  sun  kissed  the  tree,  and  the 
rains  watered  it;  but  the  fir  tree  did  not  notice 
them. 

Christmas  time  came,  and  many  young  trees 
were  cut  down,  some  that  were  even  smaller  and 
younger  than  the  fir  tree,  which  still  longed  to 
leave  its  forest  home.  These  young  trees,  which 
were  chosen  for  their  beauty,  kept  their  branches, 
but  they  also  were  laid  on  wagons,  and  drawn 
by  horses  out  of  the  forest. 

** Where  are  they  going?''  asked  the  fir  tree. 
''  They  are  not  taller  than  I  am ;  indeed,  one  is 
much  shorter.  And  why  do  they  keep  all  their 
branches  ?     Where  are  they  going  ?  '' 

*'We  know,  we  know,''  chirped  the  sparrows; 
*' we  have  peeped  in  at  the  windows  in  the  town, 
and  we  know  where  they  are  going.  They  are 
dressed  in  the  most  splendid  manner.  We  have 
seen  them  standing  in  the  middle  of  a  warm 
room,  and  covered  with  all  sorts  of  beautiful 
things,  —  cakes,  gilded  apples,  playthings,  and 
many  lighted  candles." 


-^  123  8«- 

'*  And  then/'  asked  the  fir  tree,  trembling  in  all 
its  boughs,  "  and  then  what  happens?  '^ 

''We  did  not  see  any  more,"  said  the  sparrows. 

''  I  wonder  whether  anything  like  that  will  ever 
happen  to  me,"  thought  the  fir  tree.  "That  would 
be  better  than  crossing  the  sea.  Oh,  when  will 
Christmas  come  ?  How  I  wish  I  were  in  the  warm 
room,  with  all  the  brightness  and  splendor !  I  am 
weary  with  longing  to  go  into  the  world." 

"  Rejoice  in  our  love,"  said  the  air  and  the  sun- 
shine.    ''  Rejoice  in  thy  life  in  the  fresh  air." 

But  the  tree  did  not  rejoice,  though  it  grew 
taller  and  taller  every  day. 

One  day,  just  before  the  next  Christmas,  the 
discontented  fir  tree  was  the  first  to  be  cut  down. 
But  it  could  not  think  of  happiness  now,  for  it 
was  sad  at  leaving  its  home  in  the  forest. 

It  knew  that  it  would  never  again  see  its 
dear  old  friends,  the  trees,  nor  the  little  bushes 
and  the  flowers  that  had  grown  by  its  side. 

The  tree  came  to  itself  while  being  unpacked 
in  a  courtyard,  with  several  other  trees.  He 
heard  a  man  say :  ''  This  is  the  most  beautiful. 
We  will  take  only  this  one," 


-^  124  8«- 

Then  two  men  came  and  carried  the  fir  tree 
into  a  large  room. 

They  placed  it  in  a  tub,  full  of  sand;  but 
green  cloth  hung  all  round  it,  so  that  no  one 
could  see  it  was  a  tub.  Oh,  how  the  fir  tree 
trembled!  What  was  going  to  happen  to  it 
now?  Then  some  ladies  came,  and  began  to 
dress  the  tree. 

On  one  branch  they  hung  little  bags  cut  out  of 
colored  paper,  and  each  bag  was  filled  with 
sugar-plums.  From  other  branches  hung  gilded 
apples  and  walnuts,  as  if  they  had  grown  there ; 
and  hundreds  of  red,  blue,  and  white  candles  were 
fastened  among  the  boughs. 

Dolls  and  toys  were  placed  among  the  green 
leaves,  and  at  the  very  top  was  fastened  a  glitter- 
ing golden  star.     It  was  very  beautiful. 

''  Oh,^'  thought  the  tree,  *'if  it  were  only  even- 
ing and  all  the  candles  were  lighted!  Then  I 
should  know  what  else  is  going  to  happen.  Will 
the  trees  of  the  forest  come  to  see  me?  Will  the 
sparrows  peep  in  at  the  windows  ?  I  wonder  if  I 
shall  stand  here  like  this  all  through  the  winter 
and  summer." 


«t8  125  81- 

But  the  guessing  was  of  no  use. 

At  last  the  candles  were  lighted,  and  the  tree 
trembled  with  joy  in  all  its  branches. 

Soon  the  doors  were  thrown  open,  and  a  troop 
of  children  rushed  in  as  if  to  upset  the  tree.  For 
a  moment  they  stood  silent  with  joy,  then  they 
shouted  till  the  room  echoed,  and  danced  merrily 
round  the  tree,  while  one  present  after  another 
was  taken  from  it. 

''What  are  they  doing?  What  will  happen 
next?"  thought  the  tree.  At  last  the  candles 
burned  down  to  the  branches  and  were  put  out, 
one  after  the  other. 

Then  the  children  rushed  to  the  tree  and  pulled 
off  everything  but  the  glittering  star  which  had 
been  fastened  to  the  top. 

They  danced  about  with  their  pretty  toys,  and 
no  one  looked  at  the  tree,  except  the  nurse,  who 
peeped  among  the  branches  to  see  if  an  apple  or 
a  fig  had  been  forgotten. 

All  night  the  tree  stood  still  in  deep  thought. 

In  the  morning  the  servants  came  in.  **  Now," 
thought  the  fir  tree,  *'all  my  splendor  will  begin 
again.''     But  they  dragged  it  out  of  the  room 


-« 126  st- 


andi upstairs  to  the  attic.  Here  they  threw  it 
on  the  floor,  in  a  dark  corner  where  no  daylight 
could  enter,  and  left  it.  *'  What  does  this 
mean?'^  thought  the  tree.  ''What  am  I  to  do 
here?  I  can  hear  and  see  nothing  in  this  place  :  ^^ 
and  it  leaned  against  the  wall,  and  thought  and 
thought. 

And  it  had  time  enough  to  think,  for  days  and 
nights  passed,  and  no  one  came  near  it. 

When  some  one  did  come,  it  was  only  to  push 


-»9  127  8«- 

away  some  large  trunks  in  the  corner.  So  the 
tree  was  hidden  from  sight  and  forgotten  by 
every  one. 

At  last,  after  a  long  time,  some  men  came  to 
clear  up  the  attic.  The  boxes  were  packed  away, 
and  the  tree  was  pulled  out  of  the  corner  and 
thrown  on  the  floor. 

Then  it  was  carried  downstairs  and  taken  into 
the  yard.  ''  Life  is  beginning  again,"  said  the  tree, 
rejoicing  in  the  fresh  air  and  sunshine.  ''  Now  I 
shall  live,"  and  it  spread  out  its  branches.  But, 
alas !  it  was  no  longer  beautiful.  Its  leaves  were 
all  withered  and  yellow. 

It  lay  in  the  corner  among  weeds  and  nettles, 
and  the  star  of  gold  still  hung  in  the  top  of  the 
tree  and  glittered  in  the  sunshine. 

In  the  same  yard  two  of  the  merry  children 
were  playing  who  had  danced  round  the  tree  at 
Christmas.  The  younger  saw  the  gold  star,  and 
ran  to  pull  it  off  the  tree.  ''Look  what  is  stick- 
ing to  the  ugly  old  Christmas  tree,"  cried  the 
child,  trampling  on  the  branches  till  they  cracked 
under  his  feet. 

The  tree  saw  all  the  fresh  bright  flowers  in  the 


^  128  91^ 

garden,  and  then  looked  at  itself.  It  wished  it 
had  stayed  in  the  dark  corner  in  the  attic. 

It  thought  of  its  youth  in  the  forest,  and  of  the 
merry  Christmas  evening. 

"  Gone !  gone !  "  said  the  poor  tree.  "  Oh,  if  I 
had  only  enjoyed  myself  while  I  could !  But  now 
it  is  too  late.'' 

The  gardener's  boy  came  and  chopped  the  tree 
into  small  pieces,  till  a  large  heap  of  wood  lay  on 
the  ground.  The  pieces  were  placed  in  a  fire,  and 
they  blazed  up  brightly,  while  the  tree  sighed 
deeply. 

The  children,  who  were  at  play,  came  and  rested 
themselves  in  front  of  the  fire,  and  watched  it  burn 
and  snap.  But  at  every  snap  there  was  a  deep 
sigh,  which  they  could  not  hear. 

The  tree  was  thinking  of  the  summer  days  in 
the  forest,  of  the  winter  nights  there,  when  the 
stars  shone  brightly,  and  of  the  Christmas  even- 
ing when  it  was  so  beautiful. 

And  so  the  tree  was  burned.  Now  all  was 
ended.  The  tree's  life  was  ended,  and  the  story 
also ;  for  all  stories  must  come  to  an  end. 

—  Hajus  Christian  Andersen  (Adapted). 


-^  129  8«- 


MOTHER  HOLLE 


plen'ty 

ser'vig^ 

spm'dl^ 

en'er  gy 

propter 

anx'ious 

dis'tang^ 

perched 

dis  cov'er^d 

lo^v^s 

o  bilged' 

cot'tagj^ 

A  widow,  who  lived  in  a  cottage  at  a  little  dis- 
tance from  the  village,  had  two  daughters.  One 
of  them  was  beautiful  and  industrious,  the  other 
idle  and  ugly. 

The  mother  loved  the  ugly  one  best,  because 
she  was  her  own  child.  She  cared  so  little  for 
the  other  that  she  made  her  do  all  the  work  and 
be  like  a  Cinderella  in  the  house. 

Poor  maiden,  she  was  obliged  to  go  every  day 
and  seat  herself  by  the  side  of  a  well  which  stood 
near  the  broad  highway.  Here  she  had  to  sit 
and  spin  till  her  fingers  bled. 

One  day  when  the  spindle  was  so  covered  with 
blood  that  she  could  not  use  it,  she  rose  and 
dipped  it  in  the  water  of  the  well  to  wash  it. 
While  she  was  doing  so,  it  slipped  from  her  hand 
and  fell  to  the  bottom. 


-98  130  9«- 

In  terror  and  tears,  she  ran  and  told  her  step- 
mother what  had  happened. 

The  woman  scolded  her.  ''  As  you  have  let  the 
spindle  fall  into  the  water/ ^  she  said,  "you  may 
go  and  get  it,  for  I  will  not  buy  another.'^ 


The  maiden  went  back  to  the  well,  and,  hardly 
knowing  what  she  was  about,  threw  herself  into 
the  water  to  get  the  spindle. 

At  first  she  knew  nothing,  but  as  her  senses 
returned,  she  found  herself  in  a  beautiful  meadow, 
where  the  sun  was  shining  brightly  and  thou- 
sands of  flowers  were  growing. 


^131  Be- 

She  walked  a  long  way  across  the  meadow, 
until  she  came  to  a  baker's  oven  which  was  full 
of  new  bread.  The  loaves  cried,  "  Ah,  pull  us 
out !  pull  us  out,  or  we  shall  burn ;  we  have  been 
so  long  baking! '' 

Then  she  stepped  near  to  the  oven  and  with 
the  long  bread-shovel  took  out  the  loaves. 

She  walked  on  after  this,  and  presently  came 
to  a  tree  full  of  apples.  The  tree  cried,  "  Shake 
me,  shake  me !     My  apples  are  ripe!  '^ 

She  shook  the  tree  till  the  fruit  fell  around  her 
like  rain,  and  at  last  there  was  not  one  apple  left 
upon  it. 

After  this  she  gathered  the  apples  into  one 
large  heap,  and  went  on  farther. 

Soon  she  came  to  a  small  house,  and  looking 
at  it  she  saw  an  old  woman  peeping  out.  The 
woman  had  such  large  teeth  that  the  girl  was 
frightened  and  turned  to  run  away. 

The  old  woman  cried  after  her,  ''What  dost 
thou  fear,  dear  child?  Come  and  live  here  with 
me,  and  do  all  the  work  in  the  house,  and  I  will 
make  you  happy.  You  must,  however,  take  care 
to  make  my  bed  well,  and  to  shake  it  with  energy, 


for  then  the  feathers  fly  about,  and  in  the  world 
they  will  say  it  snows,  for  I  am  Mother  HoUe." 

As  the  old  woman  talked  in  this  kind  manner, 
she  won  the  maiden's  heart,  so  that  she  agreed  to 
enter  her  service. 

She  took  care  to  shake  the  bed  well,  so  that  the 
feathers  might  fly  down  like  snowflakes.  There- 
fore she  had  a  very  happy  life  with  Mother  HoUe. 
She  had  plenty  to  eat  and  drink,  and  never  heard 
an  angry  word. 

After  she  had  stayed  a  long  time  with  the  kind 
old  woman,  she  began  to  feel  sad.  She  could  not 
explain  to  herself  why,  till  at  last  she  discovered 
that  she  was  homesick.  It  seemed  to  her  a 
thousand  times  better  to  go  home  than  to  stay 
with  Mother  HoUe,  though  the  old  woman  made 
her  so  happy. 

The  longing  to  go  home  grew  so  strong  that  at 
last  she  was  obliged  to  speak. 

''Dear  Mother  HoUe,''  she  said,  ''you  have 
been  very  kind  to  me,  but  I  have  such  sorrow  in 
my  heart  that  I  cannot  stay  here  any  longer.  I 
must  return  to  my  own  people." 

"  Good,"  said  Mother  HoUe,  "  I  am  pleased  to 


■^  133  8«- 

hear  that  you  are  longing  to  go  home.  As  you 
have  served  me  so  well  and  truly,  I  will  show  you 
the  way  myself/' 

So  she  took  her  by  the  hand  and  led  her  to  a 
broad  gateway.  The  gate  was  open,  and  as  the 
young  girl  passed  through  there  fell  upon  her  a 
shower  of  gold.  It  clung  to  her  dress  and  re- 
mained hanging  to  it,  so  that  she  was  covered 
with  gold  from  head  to  foot. 

**  This  is  your  reward  for  having  been  so  in- 
dustrious,'^  said  the  old  woman.  As  she  spoke 
she  placed  in  her  hand  the  spindle  which  had 
fallen  into  the  well. 

The  great  gate  closed  softly  and  the  maiden 
found  herself  once  more  in  the  world,  and  not  far 
from  her  stepmother's  house.  As  she  entered  the 
farmyard  a  cock  perched  on  the  wall  crowed 
loudly,  and  cried,  "  Our  golden  lady  has  come 
home,  I  see !  " 

She  went  in  to  her  stepmother;  and  because 
she  was  so  covered  with  gold  both  the  mother 
and  sister  welcomed  her  kindly.  The  maiden 
told  all  that  had  happened  to  her;  and  when 
the   mother  heard   how   her   wealth    had    been 


-^  134  8«- 


gained,  she  was  anxious  that  her  own  ugly  and 
idle  daughter  should  try  her  fortune  in  the  same 
way. 

So  she  made  her  sit  at  the  well  and  spin ;  but 
the  girl,  who  wished  to  have  all  the  riches  with- 
out working  for  them,  did  not  spin  fast  enough  to 
make  her  fingers  bleed. 

She  pricked  her  finger,  and  pushed  her  hand  in 
the  thorn-bushes,  till  at  last  a  few  spots  of  blood 
dropped  on  the  spindle. 


^  135  3«- 

As  soon  as  she  saw  these  spots  she  let  the 
spindle  fall  into  the  water  and  sprang  in  after 
it  herself.  Just  as  her  sister  had  done,  she 
found  herself  in  a  beautiful  meadow. 

She  walked  for  some  distance  along  the  same 
path  till  she  came  to  the  baker's  oven.  She  heard 
the  loaves  cry,  "Pull  us  out,  pull  us  out!  or  we 
shall  burn  ;  we  have  been  so  long  baking !  '^ 

But  the  idle  girl  answered,  "No,  indeed,  I  have 
no  wish  to  soil  my  hands  with  your  dirty  oven ; '' 
and  so  she  walked  on  till  she  came  to  the  apple 
tree. 

"Shake  me,  shake  me!^'  it  cried;  "for  my 
apples  are  ripe.^^ 

"I  do  not  agree  to  that  at  all,''  she  replied, 
"  for  some  of  the  apples  might  fall  on  my  head; " 
and  as  she  spoke  she  walked  lazily  on  farther. 

When  at  last  she  stood  before  the  door  of 
Mother  HoUe's  house,  she  had  no  fear  of  her  great 
teeth,  for  she  had  heard  all  about  them  from  her 
sister.  She  walked  up  to  the  old  woman  and 
offered  to  be  her  servant. 

Mother  Holle  accepted  the  offer  of  her  help. 
For  a  whole  day  the  girl  was  very  industrious,  as 


■^  136  8«- 

she  thought  of  the  gold  that  was  to  be  showered 
upon  her. 

On  the  second  day,  however,  she  gave  way  to 
her  laziness,  and  on  the  third  it  was  worse. 
Several  days  passed,  and  she  would  not  get  up 
early  in  the  morning.  The  bed  was  never  shaken 
so  that  the  feathers  could  fly  about. 

At  last  Mother  Holle  was  tired  of  her,  and  said 
she  must  go  away ;  that  her  help  was  not  needed. 

The  lazy  girl  was  quite  overjoyed  at  going,  for 
she  thought  the  golden  rain  was  sure  to  come 
when  Mother  Holle  led  her  to  the  gate.  But  as 
she  passed  under  it,  a  large  kettle  full  of  soot  was 
upset  over  her. 

**That  is  the  reward  of  your  service, '^  said  the 
old  woman  as  she  shut  the  gate. 

The  idle  girl  walked  home  with  the  soot  stick- 
ing all  over  her.  As  she  entered  the  yard  the 
cock  on  the  wall  cried  out,  **  Our  sooty  young  lady 
has  come  home,  I  see.'' 

The  soot  stuck  closely  and  hung  all  about  her 
hair  and  her  clothes,  and  do  what  she  would  as 
long  as  she  lived,  it  never  would  come  off  again. 

— William  Grimm  (Adapted). 


-19  137  8«- 

THE  STRAW,  THE  COAL  AND  THE  BEAN 

hearth  liick'i  ly  dis't^ng^ 

ta/'lor  com'rad^s  strefch^A 

es  cap^d'  fdr'tu  nat^  un  fSr'tu  nat^  1^ 

One  day  an  old  woman  who  lived  in  a  village 
gathered  some  beans  from  her  garden  to  cook  for 
her  dinner. 

She  had  a  good  fire  on  her  hearth,  but  to  make 
it  burn  more  quickly  she  threw  on  a  handful  of 
straw.  As  she  threw  the  beans  into  the  kettle  to 
boil,  one  of  them  fell  on  the  floor,  not  far  from  a 
wisp  of  the  straw. 

Suddenly  a  glowing  coal  bounced  out  of  the  fire 
and  fell  close  to  them. 

They  both  started  away  and  exclaimed :  "  Dear 
friend,  don^t  come  near  me  till  you  are  cooler. 
What  brings  you  out  here?  '^ 

"  Oh,'^  replied  the  coal,  "  the  heat  luckily  made 
me  so  strong  that  I  was  able  to  jump  from  the 
fire.  Had  I  not  done  so,  I  should  have  been 
burned  to  ashes  by  this  time.  " 

"Then/'  said  the  bean,  ''I  have  also  escaped 


-96  138  9«- 

with  a  whole  skin ;  for  had  the  old  woman  put  me 
in  the  kettle  with  my  comrades,  I  should  have 
been  boiled  to  broth/' 

« I  might  have  shared  the  same  fate/'  said  the 
straw,  ''for  all  my  brothers  were  pushed  into  the 
fire  and  smoke  by  the  old  woman.  She  packed 
sixty  of  us  in  a  bundle  and  brought  us  in  here  to 
take  away  our  lives,  but  I  managed  to  slip  through 
her  fingers/' 

*'  Well,  now  what  shall  we  do  with  ourselves?  " 
said  the  coal.  ''We  cannot  stay  here.  If  we  do 
the  old  woman  will  find  us." 

"I  think,"  answered  the  bean,  "as  we  have 
been  so  fortunate  as  to  escape  death,  we  may  as 
well  be  friends,  and  travel  away  together  to  see 
the  world." 

The  two  others  gladly  agreed ;  so  they  all  started 
at  once  on  their  journey.  After  travelling  a  little 
distance,  they  came  to  a  stream  over  which  there 
was  no  bridge  of  any  kind,  not  even  one  of  wood. 
They  were  puzzled  to  know  how  to  get  over  to  the 
other  side. 

At  last  the  straw  took  courage  and  said:  "I  will 
lay  myself  across  the  stream  from  one  bank  to  the 


-»8  139  8«- 


other.  Then  you  can  cross  the  brook  by  walking 
over  me  as  if  I  were  a  bridge." 

So  the  straw  stretched  himself  from  one  bank  to 
the  other,  and  the  coal,  who  was  rather  hot-headed, 
tripped  out  boldly  on  the  newly  built  bridge. 

But  when  he  reached  the  middle  of  the  stream 
and  heard  the  water  rushing  under  him,  he  was  so 
frightened  that  he  stood  still,  gazing  about  him, 
and  not  daring  to  move  a  step  farther  for  fear  of 
falling  into  the  stream. 

Sad  was  the  result;  for  the  straw,  being 
slightly  scorched  in  the  middle  by  the  heat  still 


-^e  140  8«- 

in  the  coal,  broke  in  pieces  and  fell  into  the  brook 
The  coal,  with  a  hiss,  slid  after  him  into  the  water 
and  was  drowned. 

The  bean,  who  had  stayed  behind  on  the  shore, 
was  much  amused  at  the  sight  and  laughed  so 
heartily  when  she  saw  what  had  happened,  that 
she  burst  her  skin. 

Now  she  would  have  been  in  a  worse  plight  than 
her  comrades,  but  fortunately  a  tailor  who  had 
come  to  rest  by  the  brook,  saw  her  lying  on  the 
bank. 

He  was  a  kind-hearted  man,  so  he  took  a  needle 
and  thread  out  of  his  pocket,  and  taking  the 
bean  up  from  the  sand,  he  skilfully  sewed  the 
broken  skin  together. 

When  he  had  finished  she  thanked  him  very 
much.  Unfortunately,  however,  he  had  nothing 
but  black  thread  to  sew  with,  so  since  that  time 
beans  have  a  black  stripe  on  one  side. 

—  William  Grimm. 


^  141  8t- 


FAIKY  FOLK 


Up  the  airy  mountain, 
Down  the  rushy  glen, 

We  dare  not  go  a-hunting 
For  fear  of  little  men ; 

Wee  folk,  good  folk, 
Trooping  all  together ; 

Green  jacket,  red  cap, 
And  white  owl's  feather! 


-^  142  8«- 

Down  along  the  rocky  shore 
Some  make  their  home  : 

They  live  on  crispy  pancakes 
Of  yellow  tide-foam ; 

Some  in  the  reeds 

Of  the  black  mountain-lake, 
With  frogs  for  their  watch-dogs. 

All  night  awake. 

High  on  the  hilltop 

The  old  King  sits ; 
He  is  now  so  old  and  gray, 

He^s  nigh  lost  his  wits. 

With  a  bridge  of  white  mist 
Columbkill  he  crosses, 

On  his  stately  journeys 

From  Slieveleague  to  Bosses ; 

Or  going  up  with  music, 
On  cold  starry  nights, 

To  sup  with  the  Queen 

Of  the  gay  Northern  Lights. 


-^  143  B^ 

By  the  craggy  hillside, 

Through  the  mosses  bare, 
They  have  planted  thorn-treee 

For  pleasure  here  and  there. 

Is  any  man  so  daring 

As  dig  them  up  in  spite  ? 
He  shall  find  the  thornies  set 

In  his  bed  at  night. 

Up  the  airy  mountain, 

Down  the  rushy  glen. 
We  dare  not  go  a-hunting 

For  fear  of  little  men ; 

Wee  folk,  good  folk. 

Trooping  all  together; 
Green  jacket,  red  cap, 

And  white  owFs  feather! 

—  William  Allingham: 


•^  144  8<- 


BOYS   AND   GIRLS   OF  JAPAN 


shtit'tl^  cock 
un  u'sti  ^1 


spears 
s^ord 
bam  boo' 


luria  by 
dif  fi  cult 
con  sid'er^d 


The  Japanese  baby  is  the  happiest  baby  in  the 
world.  He  is  never  scolded,  he  rarely  cries,  and 
although  he  is  never  rocked  to  sleep,  as  there  are 
no  cradles  and  no  rocking-chairs  in  Japan,  he 
seems  perfectly  contented  with  his  lot. 

There  are  no  carriages  for  the  baby  to  ride  in, 
yet  he  spends  a  large  part  of  each  day  out-of-doors. 


-^  145  8«- 

He  is  sometimes  strapped  to  liis  mother's  back, 
and  rides  about  in  this  way,  just  as  the  Indian 
baby  does.  More  often  he  is  fastened  to  the  back 
of  his  elder  brother  or  sister. 

The  child  acting  as  horse  does  not  play  quietly, 
but  enters  into  the  games  with  the  other  children, 
bouncing  balls,  flying  kites,  or  playing  battledore 
and  shuttlecock. 

The  baby  often  goes  to  sleep,  and  his  head  rolls 
about  as  if  it  would  surely  come  off.  If  he  is 
wakened  by  nn  unusual  twist,  his  sister  stops' 
playing  and  dances  up  and  down,  humming  a  soft 
lullaby,  until  he  sleeps  again. 

Nowhere  in  the  world  do  the  children  have  so 
many  good  times  as  in  Japan.  There  they  are 
allowed  to  play  anywhere  and  everywhere,  and 
there  are  all  sorts  of  toys  and  games  for  their 
amusement. 

For  the  boys  there  are  tops,  kites,  toy  spears, 
swords,  soldiers,  bows  and  arrows.  They  enjoy 
especially  playing  soldier  and  having  sham  bat- 
tles, shooting  at  figures  made  of  straw. 

The  girls'  toys  are  usually  tiny  models  of  Jap- 
anese houses  and  furniture,  and  the  dolls  who  live 


-^  146  8«- 

in  these  toy  houses  are  treated  just  as  the  mothers 
treat  their  own  children. 

They  are  dressed  and  undressed,  put  to  bed, 
taken  out  walking  and  calling,  and  allowed  to  give 
tea-parties,  to  which  their  doll  friends  are  invited. 

Some  of  the  dolls  look  so  much  like  live  babies 
that  it  is  difficult  to  tell  whether  the  little  girl  is 
playing  or  taking  care  of  her  baby  brother. 

In  the  winter,  when  the  snow  is  on  the  ground, 
the  children  slide  and  coast,  and  the  boys  make 
torts  and  snow-men,  and  have  battles  with  snow- 
balls in  their  forts. 

With  all  this  play  and  fun  the  children  must 
do  some  work  each  day ;  in  fact  they  are  taught 
to  be  very  industrious.  The  girls  learn  to  sew  and 
cook,  sweep  and  dust ;  and  in  the  country  the  boys 
work  in  the  fields  of  rice  and  tea. 

There  are  schools  for  the  boys,  where  they  learn 
reading  and  writing,  and  a  little  arithmetic.  Their 
school  begins  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning  and 
closes  at  twelve.  Then  they  go  home  to  dinner, 
and  the  afternoon  is  devoted  to  work  and  play. 

The  girls  attend  a  school  where  they,  too,  are 
taught  a  little  reading  and  writing,  but  it  is  con- 


^  147  8«- 

sidered  far  more  important  for  them  to  learn  to 
make  and  serve  tea  and  arrange  flowers. 

The  Japanese  house  is  low  and  small,  and  looks 
almost  like  a  toy  house.  The  frame  of  the  house 
is  made  of  bamboo,  and  the  walls  are  made  of 
thick  paper  stretched  over  the  frame.  There  are 
no  doors,  and  the  windows  are  made  of  thin  paper 
and  cannot  be  opened. 

The  walls  are  like  sliding  doors,  and  when  any 
one  wishes  to  enter  the  house,  he  pushes  aside  the 
wall  and  steps  into  the  room. 

Inside  the  house  there  are  no  chairs  of  any  kind, 
no  beds  and  no  stoves :  the  tables  are  only  six 
inches  high  and  about  a  foot  square. 

All  of  the  cooking  is  done  over  a  dish  of  coals 
set  in  a  larger  dish  of  sand. 

The  children  in  Japan  eat  neither  bread  no: 
butter,  milk  nor  coffee,  pudding  nor  pies.  Their 
food  consists  mainly  of  rice  and  other  vegetables, 
and  is  served  in  tiny  bowls  and  eaten  with  chop- 
sticks. 

As  there  are  no  chairs,  every  one  must  sit  on 
the  floor,  and  as  there  are  no  beds,  every  one 
sleeps  on  the  floor  also. 


-^  148  8«- 

At  night  the  walls  of  the  house  are  shut  tight, 
and  each  member  of  the  family  takes  a  hot  bath. 
Then  he  puts  on  the  clothes  he  has  worn  all  day, 
gets  into  a  curious  sleeping-bag,  and  lies  down  on 
the  floor.  His  pillow  is  a  block  of  wood,  on  which 
is  placed  a  tiny  cushion,  and  his  covering  is  a  soft 
rug. 

The  Japanese  lanterns  which  are  used  in  this 
country  for  decoration  are  very  common  in  Japan. 
Every  one  who  walks  through  the  streets  at  night 
is  obliged  to  carry  one ;  and  they  are  also  hung  in 
front  of  the  houses.  If  it  rains,  an  umbrella  is 
hung  over  the  lantern. 


-98  149  B«- 


THE  DOLL  FESTIVAL 

em'per  or  san'dal  cush'/on 

em'press  dis  pla/^d'  cu'ri  ^tis 

gel  e  bra'tion  chrys  an'the  mum  fes'ti  val 


The  little  Japanese  children  have  never  heard 
of  Santa  Claus.  They  have  no  Thanksgiving  Day, 
and  no  Fourth  of  July  celebration,  but  they  have 
many  holidays  of  which  you  have  never  heard. 

There  is  the  Cherry-Blossom  Feast  in  the  spring, 
and  the  Chrysanthemum  Feast  in  the  fall ;  for  in 
this  far-away  land  the  people  love  these  flowers 
so  much  that  they  have  festivals  in  their  honor. 

Then  there  is  the  Doll  Festival  for  the  girls, 
and  the  Flag  Festival  for  the  boys. 


-•8  150  B«- 

The  Doll  Festival  comes  once  a  year,  on  the 
third  day  of  March,  and  on  that  day  every  little 
girl  in  the  land  has  a  merry,  happy  time. 

In  nearly  every  large  house  in  Japan  there  is  a 
store-room  filled  with  boxes  which  are  brought  out 
and  opened  after  the  children  are  fast  asleep  on 
the  night  before  the  festival. 

The  dolls  are  in  these  boxes,  where  they  have 
been  carefully  packed  away  for  a  whole  year. 

How  many  dolls  do  you  suppose  there  are  some- 
times for  two  little  girls  to  play  with  in  one  day? 

Haru  and  Lugi  have  over  one  hundred,  besides 
boxes  and  boxes  filled  with  beautiful  clothes. 

Some  of  the  dolls  are  more  than  two  hundred 
years  old,  and  belonged  to  Haru's  grandmother's 
great-grandmother. 

Then  there  are  dolls  which  belonged  to  Harass 
mother,  and  to  her  grandmother.  Very  old  dolls 
they  are,  but  none  of  them  are  cracked  or  broken, 
and  none  of  the  dresses  are  torn. 

One  of  the  dolls  is  dressed  like  the  Emperor 
and  one  like  the  Empress  of  Japan.  Some  are 
little  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  court,  some  are 
girl-babies,  and  some  are  little  boys. 


-^  151  8«- 

Many  of  the  dolls  are  no  more  than  six  inches 
tall,  but  the  doll  Haru  likes  best  is  four  feet  from 
the  top  of  her  head  to  the  sole  of  her  tiny  sandal, 
—  taller  than  little  Haru  herself. 

Besides  the  dolls  there  are  small  tables  on 
which  dishes  and  cups  filled  with  rice-cakes  and 
tea  are  placed,  for  this  is  the  Feast  of  Dolls,  and 
they  must  have  something  to  eat,  even  if  Haru 
and  Lugi  have  to  eat  it  for  them. 

In  the  same  room  are  displayed  all  sorts  of  toys 
and  games,  everything  that  little  Japanese  girls 
like  to  play  with,  and  such  a  good  time  as  they 
have  all  the  long  day ! 

They  wake  up  very  early  in  the  morning,  as 
early  as  you  do 
on  Christmas 
Day,  and  as  soon 
as  they  are 
dressed  they 
hurry  to  the 
feast-room. 

First    of   all 
each  doll  must  be  dressed  in  his  very  best.     Then 
the   emperor  and   empress   are    seated   on   their 


-^  152  en- 
thrones, and  all  the  other  dolls  kneel  before  them 
and  bow  respectfully,  touching  the  floor  with  their 
heads  three  times. 

By  this  time  the  dolls  are  surely  hungry,  so 
they  are  seated  at  the  little  tables,  and  they  eat 
the  rice-cakes  and  drink  the  tea,  just  as  your 
dolls  eat  and  drink. 

If  you  ever  go  to  Japan,  and  are  invited  to  this 
feast,  you  must  drink  all  of  your  tea,  and  put 
everything  which  you  do  not  eat  into  your 
pocket.  It  is  considered  very  rude  to  leave  even 
a  crumb  on  your  plate. 

By  and  by  it  is  time  for  the  dolls  to  be  put  to 
bed,  so  their  beautiful  clothes  are  taken  off,  their 
curious  sleeping-coats  are  put  on,  and  each  head  is 
laid  on  a  pillow  which  is  made  of  a  block  of  wood 
with  a  cushion  on  it.  You  can  easily  imagine 
that  it  takes  the  little  girls  a  long  time  to  get 
such  a  large  family  ready  for  bed. 

Haru  and  Lugi  are  put  to  bed,  too,  in  just  the 
same  way,  with  the  same  kind  of  a  pillow,  and 
then  the  dolls  are  packed  in  their  boxes  and 
stored  away  for  another  whole  year,  until  the 
third  day  of  the  third  month  shall  come  again. 


-j8  163  8«- 


THE  FLAG  FESTIVAL 


dg  v5'ted 

carp 

ba/t'6d 

gn  tirf  ly 

grec'ted 

cfir'rent 

u'ni  fSrm 

as  sem'bl^s 

hel'mgt 

The  Japanese  boys  do 
not  enjoy  the  Doll  Festi- 
val. They  are  left  alone 
all  day  to  amuse  them- 
selves, while  the  girls 
play  with  their  dolls, 
toys,  and  games. 

But  on  the  Fifth  Day 
of  the  Fifth  Month  is  the 
Flag  Festival,  and  this  is 
devoted  entirely  to  the 
boys. 

Now  the  shop  windows 
are  filled  with  flags  and 

toys.  Besides  these  are  all  kinds  of  games  and 
kites,  and  hundreds  of  huge  paper  fishes.  There 
are  no  dolls  for  girls  to  play  with,  but  thousands 
of  Japanese  toy  soldiers,  generals,  captains,  and 


■^  154  Q^ 

heroes,  dressed  in  uniform.  Some  are  on  foot 
and  others  on  horseback. 

Then  there  are  all  kinds  of  toy  animals,  mon- 
keys, horses,  and  dogs,  together  with  tents,  houses, 
spears,  and  arrows. 

It  is  only  in  April  and  May  that  such  toys 
as  these  are  sold,  just  as  the  girls'  dolls  and 
games  are  sold  only  in  February  and  March. 

On  the  evening  of  the  fourth  day  of  May  the 
box  containing  all  the  old  toys  and  flags  —  toys 
used  by  the  grandfathers  and  great-grandfathers 
—  are  taken  from  the  storeroom  and  carried  to 
the  room  in  which  the  dolls  held  their  festival. 
Here  the  toys  are  unpacked  and  displayed. 

Now  it  is  the  boys^  turn,  and  they  are  awake 
and  dressed  in  the  morning  almost  before  it  is 
light.  They  rush  to  the  feast-room  to  find  their 
new  toys  and  to  look  at  the  curious  old  ones  that 
they  have  played  with  in  the  previous  years. 

After  breakfast  all  the  family  assembles  in 
front  of  the  house,  where  already  a  tall  pole  has 
been  erected. 

The  father  carries  in  his  arms  a  bundle  of 
paper  fishes,  a  fish  for  every  boy  in  his  family. 


-^  155  8«- 

He  fastens  each  fish  to  the  rope  on  the  pole  and 
his  oldest  son  proudly  raises  it. 

The  fish  is  a  huge  paper  carp.  It  is  made  hol- 
low, so  that  the  breeze  will  fill  it  and  make  it 
oval  like  a  real  carp.  Some  of  these  fishes  are 
twenty  feet  long,  and  as  the  wind  blows  they  tug 
at  their  lines  like  live  fishes  with  baited  hooks 
in  their  mouths. 

All  day  long  these  fishes  sail  and  float  in  the 
air,  and  the  boys  watch  them  from  the  house- 
tops, or  play  with  their  toys  in  the  feast-room. 

Why  do  the  Japanese  make  these  paper  carp, 
and  why  are  they  raised  in  honor  of  the  boys  ? 

The  carp  is  a  fish  that  lives  in  the  rivers 
of  Japan;  it  can  leap  high  out  of  the  water 
and  jump  over  rocks;  it  can  even  leap  over 
waterfalls,  and  swim  against  a  strong  current. 

The  Japanese  fathers  wish  to  have  their  sons 
brave  and  strong,  able  to  overcome  difficulties 
and  to  face  any  danger. 

So  they  display  this  fish  on  the  boys'  feast-day, 
and  tell  their  sons  of  its  strength  and  power, 
trying  to  teach  them  the  value  of  courage  and  the 
glory  of  victory. 


-•8  156  d^ 


They  also  give  to  each  son  a  toy  helmet  to 
remind  him  that  one  day  he  may  be  a  soldier. 
These  helmets  are  very  curious.  They  are  much 
like  a  mask,  with  a  fringe  of  hair  on  each  side 
and  two  large  horns  in  front,  almost  ugly  enough 
to  frighten  the  enemy. 

After  the  boys  have  played  at  war  with  their 
soldiers,  they  put  on  their  helmets  and  go  into 
the  garden,  taking  their  bows  and  arrows. 

Here  they  play  at  war  again,  shooting  at  sol- 
diers made  of  straw  with  their  sharp-pointed 
arrows. 

When  night  comes  the  toys  are  packed  away 
in  the  storeroom  for  another  year,  but  the  boys  do 
not  soon  forget  their  battles  and  their  victories. 


-^  157  Q^ 


THE  APE  AND  THE  CRAB 


m6n'k^y 
dis  ma/' 
greet'mg 


vis'it 
gree'dy 
prom 'is  j 


w6ii'der  ing 
sti^  ges'ted 
re  min'ded 


A  crab  who  lived  in  a   C 
sand-hill   was    sitting   at 
his  door  in  the  sun  eating 
a  rice-cake. 

An  ape  went  by,  carry- 
ing an  orange-seed.  See- 
ing the  rice-cake,  he  called 
out:  ''Good-morning,  Mr. 
Crab.  I  will  give  you 
this  seed  for  your  little 
cake.  You  can  plant 
the  seed  and  raise  more 
oranges  than  you  can 
use,  but  when  you  have 
eaten  the  cake,  that  is  the  end  of  it.'* 

The  crab  took  the  seed  and  planted  it  in  his 
garden.  As  soon  as  the  plant  came  up,  he 
watered  it  and  tended  it  very  carefully. 


-^  158  8«- 

One  day,  when  the  plant  had  grown  to  be  a 
large  tree  and  was  covered  with  ripe  oranges,  the 
ape  came  again  to  visit  the  crab. 

After  greeting  the  ape,  the  crab  showed  him 
the  tree,  and  said:  "I  am  sorry  that  I  cannot 
give  you  some  of  the  oranges,  but  I  cannot  climb 
into  the  tree.  I  wait  for  the  ripe  fruit  to  fall 
to  the  ground.  If  you  will  climb  up  and  pick  the 
oranges,  I  will  give  you  half  of  them  to  take  home 
to  your  family.'^ 

The  ape  gladly  climbed  among  the  branches 
and  picked  all  of  the  ripe  fruit.  Then  he  sat 
down  on  one  of  the  highest  limbs  and  began  to 
eat  the  ripest  oranges,  throwing  a  green  one  at 
the  crab  now  and  then,  and  almost  breaking  his 
shell. 

The  poor  crab  watched  the  ape  in  dismay  for 
a  while,  wondering  how  he  could  get  some  of 
his  own  fruit. 

At  last  he  thought  of  a  plan.  Crawling 
quickly  to  the  foot  of  the  tree,  he  sat  down, 
and  began  talking,  as  if  he  were  thinking  aloud. 

^'What  a  wonderful  animal  that  ape  is,^^  he 
said.     ''  He  can  climb  up  into  a  tree  as  easily  as 


■^  159  »► 

I  can  run.  It  must  be  very  difficult.  I  wonder 
if  he  can  come  down  as  well.  Of  course  he 
could  jump  down,  but  how  much  better  it  would 
be  if  he  could  climb  down  head  first. '^ 

The  ape,  hearing  this,  threw  down  the  orange 
he  was  eating,  and  began  climbing  down  the  tree, 
head  first,  as  the  crab  had  suggested. 

As  he  came  down,  the  oranges  rolled  out  of  his 
pockets  and  fell  to  the  ground.  The  crab  picked 
them  up  and  hurried  home. 

*'  You  have  eaten  your  share  of  my  fruit,  and 
that  is  the  end  of  it,'^  he  said,  when  the  ape 
reminded  him  of  his  promise.  ''  These  oranges 
which  I  have  will  last  a  long  time,  and  I  can 
plant  the  seeds  and  raise  more  trees.  If  you  had 
not  been  so  greedy,  you  would,  at  least,  have  the 
seeds  to  plant  for  yourself. 

*'  An  orange-seed  is  no  better  than  a  rice-cake 
when  it  is  eaten,  but  a  tree  bears  ripe  fruit  every 
year.'' 


^  160  8«- 

THE   FROG  TRAVELLERS 

Ki  o'to  en'gm^s  sa  yon  a'ra 

0  za'ka  her'on  ad  ven'tur^s 

vex^d  teVe  graph  re  spect'fiil  ly 

pack'ag^  land'scap^  sat'isfi^d 

Long,  long  ago,  before  the  white  man  came 
across  the  Sea  of  Peace  to  Japan,  before  the 
screaming  engines  frightened  the  white  heron  from 
the  rice-fields,  and  before  the  sparrows  perched 
on  telegraph  wires,  there  lived  two  frogs,  one  in 
a  well  at  Kioto,  the  other  in  a  pond  at  Ozaka. 

In  the  land  of  Japan  there  is  a  proverb  that 
'^  the  frog  in  the  well  knows  not  the  great  ocean. '^ 
The  Kioto  frog  had  heard  this  said  many  times  by 
the  maids  who  came  to  draw  water,  and  one  day 
he  became  vexed  at  their  laughter. 

*^  I  will  stay  here  no  longer,''  he  said  to  himself. 
''  I  will  go  at  once  to  see  this  great  ocean  of  which 
they  talk.  I  do  not  believe  it  is  half  as  wide  or 
as  deep  as  my  well,  where  I  can  see  the  stars  even 
in  the  daytime,  but  I  will  at  least  know  what  it 
looks  like." 


-^  161  ^ 


THE  WELL  IN  KIOTO 


^  162  8«- 

Then  Mr.  Frog  told  his  family  that  he  was  going 

on  a  journey,  going  out  to  Ozaka  to  see  the  great 

T-6n.ean.     So  Mrs.  Frog  gave  him  a  package  of  boiled 

rice  and  snails,  and  tying  it  round  his  neck  he  set 

ofif  on  his  journey. 

When  he  came  out  of  the  well,  he  saw  that  the 
other  animals  did  not  leap,  but  walked  upright  on 
their  legs.  He  thought  he  must  walk  in  the  same 
way,  so  he  stood  up  on  his  hind  legs  and  waddled 
off  slowly  across  the  fields. 

On  this  very  same  day  the  frog  who  lived  in  the 
pond  decided  to  see  more  of  the  world. 

''  Sayonara,^'  he  said  to  Mrs.  Frog,  as  he  jumped 
from  a  lily-pad  into  the  grass,  '^  I  am  tired  of  sit- 
ting here  in  the  sun  thinking  and  blinking,  so  I 
am  going  to  Kioto." 

It  so  happened  that  the  Kioto  frog  and  the  frog 
from  Ozaka  met  on  a  hill  halfway  between  the 
two  cities. 

''  Good  morning,''  said  one,  bowing  his  head  to 
the  ground  three  times. 

**  Good  morning,''  said  the  other,  also  bowing 
respectfully. 

Then  they  sank  down  in  a  shady  spot,  for  they 


^  163  6«- 


were  very  tired  and  lame  from  trying  ioi  ^alii  on 
their  hind  feet.  (  ^  a  t    ^  ^^>,^J  ,, 

**  Where  are  you  going?  ''  asked  the  Ozaka frbg.'' 
*'  This  is  a  fine  day  for  a  journey/' 

**  I  started  out  to  see  the  great  ocean  at  Ozaka, 
of  which  I  have  heard  so  often/'  replied  the  frog 
who  lived  in  the  well,  ''but  I  am  so  tired  that  I 
think  I  shall  be  satisfied  with  looking  at  it  from 
the  top  of  this  hill/' 

''I  am  going  to  Kioto,"  said  the  other  frog. 

''It  is  a  long  journey,  my  friend,"  said  the 
Kioto  frog.  "  Why  do  you  not  look  at  it  from  this 
hill  and  save  yourself  the  trouble  of  walking  all 
the  way  ?  " 

"  That  is  a  good 
plan,  friend,"  said 
the  frog  from 
Ozaka. 

Then  the  two 
frogs  climbed  to 
the  top  of  a  flat 
rock,  and  stood  up  on  their  hind  legs,  the  Kioto 
frog  facing  the  great  ocean  at  Ozaka,  and  the  other 
facing  the  city  of  Kioto. 


-^  164  B^ 

A  i^og's  eyes,  as  you  know  very  well,  are  so 
placed  that  when  he  sits  comfortably  at  home  on 
'its'  lily-pad,  he  looks  before  him.  But  when  he 
stands  on  his  hind  legs  with  his  head  in  the  air, 
he  sees  only  what  is  behind  him. 

Standing  in  this  way,  on  top  of  the  rock,  the 
frogs  looked  long  and  steadily  at  the  landscape. 
At  last,  being  very  tired,  they  sat  down  again. 

''  Ozaka  looks  exactly  like  my  home,''  said  the 
Kioto  frog ;  ''  and  as  for  the  ocean,  I  saw  nothing 
larger  than  the  brook  I  swam  across  this  morning." 

**You  are  right,"  said  the  other.  **  Kioto  looks 
just  like  Ozaka.  They  are  as  much  alike  as  two 
grains  of  rice.  I  am  glad  that  I  met  you,  for  you 
have  saved  me  much  trouble.  I  shall  return  to 
my  pond  at  once.     Sayonara,  my  friend." 

Then  the  two  frogs  jumped  to  the  ground  and 
hurried  off,  leaping  as  a  frog  should  do,  and  thus 
reaching  home  in  a  short  time. 

That  night  they  told  their  friends  about  their 
adventures,  and  still  the  frog  in  the  pond  thinks 
he  has  seen  the  great  world,  and  "  the  frog  in  the 
well  knows  not  the  great  ocean." 

—  William  Elliot  Griffis  (Adapted), 


^165  8«- 


A  CHINESE  SCHOOL 


6x  plajfn^d'  con  fu'sion  c8m  po  sl'tion 

le^r'ned  sep'a  rat^  ly  sub  trac'tion 

?is  sis'taiiQ^  in  clud'ed  com  plet'ed 

mis  tak^'  mem'o  ry  va  ca'tion 

"When  I  was  a  little  boy  I  lived  in  China  two 
or  three  years.  I  did  not  go  to  school,  because 
my  parents  did  not  wish  to  have  me  learn  the 
Chinese  language,  but  I  visited  them  several  times 
with  my  father. 

I  do  not  believe  that  you  would  like  to  go  to  a 
school  in  that  strange  land ;  let  me  tell  you  about 
one  which  I  visited. 

I  started  with  my  father  very  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, even  before  the  sun  rose,  as  the  school  begins 
at  six  o'clock  both  in  summer  and  winter. 

The  school  was  kept  in  the  large  hall  of  the 
home  of  one  of  the  pupils.  When  we  opened 
the  door  we  heard  such  a  noise  that  I  supposed 
the  boys  were  playing,  but  my  father  explained 
that  they  were  studying  their  lessons. 

As  we  entered,  they  laid   aside   their  books, 


^  166  8«- 


rose,  and  bowed  respectfully ;  then  they  sat  down 
again  on  the  floor,  and  seemed  to  me  to  shout 
louder  than  ever. 

Occasionally  one  boy  stopped  to  talk  with  an- 
other who  sat  near  him.  Two  of  the  boys  were 
playing  with  tiny  rice-bags ;  and  a  third  had 
given  his  book  to  a  friend  and  was  repeating  his 
lesson  to  him  at  the  top  of  his  voice. 

All  at  once  the  talking,  the  playing 
and  the  shouting  ceased. 
The  steps  of  the  master 
were   heard   in 
the   hall,  and 
as    the    door 
opened  the 
ill  v_^i.*-— ^>  pupils   rose 
and  bowed,  crying  out 
with  one  voice,  ^'  Be  pleased 
to  enter,  learned  master.^' 
The  master  then  took  his  seat,  and  the  boys 
returned  to  their  studies. 

The  eldest  boy  took  his  book  to  the  teacher's 
desk,  turned  his  back  to  him,  and  recited  his 
lesson.     This  is  called  ''  backing  the  lesson,''  and 


(to  >  W\«j\>i 


-»9  167  8^ 

shows  that  the  boy  can  recite  without  the  master's 
assistance.  As  this  boy  repeated  the  words  of  the 
book  without  a  mistake,  he  returned  to  his  seat 
and  began  his  writing  lesson. 

Each  boy  took  his  turn  at  reciting,  while  the 
others  studied  aloud.  You  can  imagine  the  con- 
fusion. If  the  teacher  was  obliged  to  prompt  a 
pupil  more  than  once,  he  had  to  study  his  lesson 
again  and  recite  after  the  others.  When  all  had 
finished,  the  master  examined  the  writing.  Then 
the  school  was  dismissed  for  breakfast. 

When  the  pupils  returned,  the  master  taught 
the  lesson  for  the  next  day  to  each  one  sepa- 
rately. He  read  it  several  times,  and  the  pupil 
repeated  it  until  he  had  learned  the  words. 

At  noon  the  boys  went  home  to  dinner,  and 
were  allowed  to  play  until  the  middle  of  the 
afternoon,  when  they  came  back  again  to  study 
until  sunset.  After  their  early  supper  the  older 
pupils  returned  again  to  the  schoolroom,  to  work 
during  the  evening. 

The  master  explained  to  my  father  that  the 
course  of  study  included  only  reading,  writing, 
composition,  and  a  little  arithmetic. 


^  168  Q^ 

When  the  boy  first  goes  to  school  he  begins  at 
once  to  learn  to  read.  There  is  no  alphabet  in 
the  Chinese  language,  but  there  are  about  three 
thousand  words,  which  he  must  commit  to  memory. 

He  takes  his  book  to  the  teacher  and  hears  him 
read  a  column  or  two ;  then  he  returns  to  his  seat 
and  studies  the  lesson  aloud  until  he  can  recite  it 
by  rote.  In  this  way  he  commits  the  whole  book 
to  memory ;  and  he  is  expected  to  know  it  so  well 
that  he  can  repeat  any  part  of  it  at  any  time. 

Seven  books  are  studied  and  learned  in  this 
way  before  the  course  in  reading  is  completed. 

The  Chinese  written  language  is  very  different 
from  the  spoken  language,  and  this,  too,  must  be 
learned.  The  writing  is  done  with  a  brush,  and 
is  considered  as  great  an  art  in  China  as  painting 
or  drawing  in  other  countries. 

The  school  year  begins  about  three  weeks  after 
New  Year's  Day,  and  continues  until  the  middle 
of  the  twelfth  month.  There  are  no  vacations 
and  few  holidays.  Unlike  the  boys  and  girls  of 
America,  Chinese  pupils  have  no  Saturdays  as 
holidays,  and  no  Sundays  as  rest  days. 


■^  169  8«- 


DICK  WHITTINGTON 


pav^d 

ven'ttir^ 

ad  vis^d' 

car'go 

je^r^us 

pos  ses'sions 

a  bus^' 

mer'chant 

em  broi'der^d 

plag]A(^ 

de  priv^' 

cab'i  net 

voy'ag^ 

con  sen 'ted 

maj'es  ty 

Many  years  ago  there  lived  in  England  a  boy 
whose  name  was  Richard  Whittington,  but  every 
one  called  him  Dick. 

Dick's  father  and  mother  died  when  he  was  a 
baby,  and  the  woman  who  took  care  of  him  was 
very  poor. 

Sometimes  he  had  no  breakfast  nor  dinner,  and 


-^  170  8«- 

he  was  often  glad  to  get  a  crust  of  bread  or  a  bit 
of  cold  potato. 

In  spite  of  this,  Dick  grew  to  be  a  very  bright 
boy.     He  liked  to  listen  when  people  were  talk 
ing,  and  in  this  way  he  learned  a  great  deal. 

He  often  heard  the  village  people  speak  of 
London.  They  had  never  seen  this  great  city,  but 
they  believed  that  all  the  streets  were  paved  with 
gold  and  silver,  that  every  one  there  was  very 
rich,  and  that  singing  and  music  could  be  heard 
all  the  day  long. 

One  day  a  wagon  drawn  by  eight  black  horses, 
with  bells  on  their  heads,  was  driven  into  the 
little  town.  Dick  saw  the  wagon  standing  before 
the  door  of  the  inn,  and  thought  that  anything  so 
fine  must  surely  be  going  to  London. 

When  the  driver  came  out,  Dick  asked  him  if 
he  might  walk  by  the  side  of  the  wagon.  When 
the  man  learned  that  the  lad  had  no  father  nor 
mother,  and  that  he  was  very  poor,  he  told  him 
he  might  go  with  him  if  he  wished. 

It  was  a  long  walk  for  the  little  fellow ;  but  at 
last  he  came  to  the  great  city  of  London.  He 
was  in  such  a  hurry  to  see  the  streets  paved  with 


-«  171  8«- 

gold  and  silver,  tliat  he  ran  about  all  day  trying 
to  find  one. 

He  had  once  seen  a  piece  of  gold  money,  and 
he  knew  that  it  would  buy  a  great  many  things, 
so  he  thought  that  if  he  could  pick  up  a  bit  of  gold 
pavement  he  could  buy  everything  that  he  wanted. 

Poor  Dick  ran  about  till  he  was  tired.  It  began 
to  grow  dark,  and  he  had  not  found  a  single  bit 
of  gold ;  so  he  sat  down  in  a  dark  corner  and  cried 
himself  to  sleep. 

In  the  morning  he  woke  up  very  hungry,  but 
there  was  not  even  a  crust  of  bread  for  him  to  eat. 
He  was  so  hungry  that  he  forgot  all  about  the  gold 
pavements,  and  thought  only  of  food. 

He  walked  up  and  down  the  streets  asking 
every  one  whom  he  met  to  give  him  a  penny,  so 
that  he  could  buy  something  to  eat. 

**  Go  to  work  and  earn  one,  you  lazy  boy,''  said 
some  of  them  ;  and  others  passed  by  without  look- 
ing at  him. 

"I  wish  I  could  go  to  work,''  thought  Dick. 

At  last  he  was  so  hungry  and  tired  that  he  could 
go  no  farther,  so  he  sat  down  at  the  door  of  a  large 
house.     The  cook,  who  was  busy  getting  dinner, 


^  172  8^ 

soon  saw  him  and  called  out :  **  What  are  you  doing 
there,  boy  ?  If  you  don't  run  away  I  will  throw 
this  dish-water  over  you.  I  have  some  here  that 
is  hot  enough  to  make  you  jump/' 

Just  then  the  master  of  the  house  came  home 
to  dinner.  When  he  saw  the  ragged  boy  at  the 
door,  he  said:  *'  What  are  you  doing  here,  my  lad? 
Ton  seem  to  be  old  enough  to  work ;  I  am  afraid 
that  you  are  a  lazy  little  fellow.'' 

**No,  indeed,  sir,"  said  Dick,  **I  would  be 
glad  to  work,  but  I  do  not  know  anybody,  and  I 
am  sick  for  want  of  food." 

**  Poor  boy !  "  said  Mr.  Fitzwarren ;  "  come  in, 
and  I  will  see  if  I  can  help  you." 

The  kind  merchant  gave  the  lad  a  good  dinner, 
and  then  told  the  cook  to  give  him  some  work. 

Dick  would  have  been  very  happy  in  this  new 
home  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  cross  cook,  who 
scolded  him  from  morning  till  night,  and  often 
boxed  his  ears  and  beat  him  with  the  broom. 

At  last,  little  Alice,  Mr.  Fitzwarren's  daughter, 
heard  how  he  was  treated,  and  she  told  the  cook 
that  she  would  be  sent  away  if  she  were  not  kinder 
to  the  lad. 


-98  173  8^ 


After  that  he  was  better  treated,  but  he  had 
another  trouble.  His  bed  was  in  the  garret,  and 
at  night  great  numbers  of  rats  and  mice  came 
through  the  holes  in  the  floor  and  made  so  much 
noise  that  he  was  not  able  to  sleep. 

One  day  a  gentleman  gave  him  a  penny  for 
cleaning  his  shoes,  and  he  thought  he  would  buy 
a  cat  with  it.  The  next  morning  he  saw  a  girl 
who  was  carrying  a  cat  in  her  arms. 


-^  174  8«- 


DICK  WHITTINGTON 


-•9  175  Si- 

**I  will  give  you  this  penny  for  your  cat/'  lie 
said. 

"Yery  well,  you  may  have  her,''  said  the  girl; 
*'  and  you  will  find  that  she  is  an  excellent  mouser.'' 

Dick  kept  his  cat  in  the  garret  and, gave  her  a 
part  of  his  dinner  each  day.  In  a  short  time  there 
was  not  a  rat  nor  a  mouse  to  trouble  him,  and  he 
slept  soundly  every  night. 

Soon  after  this,  Mr.  Fitzwarren  had  a  ship  ready 
to  sail  on  a  trading  voyage.  He  called  his  servants 
together  and  asked  them  if  they  had  anything  to 
send  in  the  ship  for  trade.   ^ 

Every  one  had  something  to  send  but  Dick,  and 
as  he  had  neither  money  nor  goods,  he  stayed  in 
the  kitchen. 

Little  Alice  missed  him  and  guessed  why  he 
did  not  come,  so  she  said  to  her  father:  **Poor 
Dick  ought  to  have  a  chance,  too,  Papa.  I  have  a 
little  money  in  my  purse.  May  I  not  send  it  for 
him?" 

**No,  my  child,"  said  the  merchant;  **each 
one  must  send  something  of  his  own.'' 

Then  he  said  to  one  of  the  men,  ''  Tell  Dick  to 
come  here." 


^  176  8«- 

When  the  lad  came  into  the  room  he  said  to  him, 
**  What  are  you  going  to  send  out  on  my  ship  ?  ^' 

*'  I  have  nothing,  sir,'^  replied  the  boy,  **  nothing 
but  my  cat,  which  I  bought  for  a  penny/' 

'*  Bring  your  cat,  then,  my  good  boy,'^  said  the 
merchant,  *'and  let  her  go  on  the  voyage.  Per- 
haps some  good  may  come  of  if 

Dick  went  up  to  the  garret,  brought  down  poor 
puss,  and,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  took  her  to 
the  captain  of  the  vessel. 

Everybody  laughed  at  Dick^s  odd  venture,  but 
Alice  felt  sorry  for  the  little  boy  and  gave  him 
money  to  buy  another  cat. 

This  act  of  kindness  made  the  cook  jealous  of 
poor  Dick,  and  she  was  crosser  than  ever,  and  was 
always  making  fun  of  him  for  sending  his  cat 
to  sea. 

**Do  you  think  the  cat  will  sell  for  money 
enough  to  buy  a  stick  to  beat  you?''  she  asked 
him. 

At  last  Dick  could  not  bear  her  abuse  any 
longer,  so  he  made  up  his  mind  to  run  away.  He 
started  early  in  the  morning  and  walked  far  out 
into  the  country. 


-»6  177  a^ 

There  Tie  sat  down  on  a  stone,  which  to  this 
day  is  called  '^  Whittington's  Stone/' 

While  he  was  wondering  what  he  should  do 
next,  the  bells  of  Bow  Church  began  to  ring.  He 
listened,  and  they  seemed  to  say  to  him ;  — 

**  Turn  again,   Whittington, 
Lord  Mayor  of  London^    ' 

*^Lord  Mayor  of  London/'  he  said  to  himself; 
**  I  would  do  almost  anything  to  be  Lord  Mayor 
of  London,  and  ride  in  a  fine  coach  when  I  am  a 
man !  I  will  go  back  and  think  nothing  of  the 
fussing  and  scolding  of  the  old  cook,  if  I  am  to  be 
Lord  Mayor  at  last.'' 

So  Dick  went  back,  and  was  lucky  enough  to 
get  into  the  kitchen  and  set  about  his  work  before 
the  cook  came  downstairs. 

The  ship,  with  the  cat  on  board,  had  a  long 
and  stormy  voyage,  and  was  at  last  driven  to  a 
strange  land. 

The  people  of  this  country  had  never  seen  any 
Englishmen,  and  they  came  in  great  crowds  to  see 
the  sailors  and  to  buy  the  fine  things  with  which 
the  ship  was  loaded. 


-^  178  e«- 

When  the  captain  saw  this,  he  sent  some  of 
the  most  beautiful  things  he  had  to  the  king  of 
the  country,  who  was  so  much  pleased  that  he  sent 
for  the  captain  to  come  to  his  palace. 

When  the  captain  arrived,  the  king  and  queen 
invited  him  to  dine  with  them.  A  number  of 
jewelled  dishes  were  brought  in  and  placed  on 
beautiful  rugs,  which  were  embroidered  with  gold 
and  silver  flowers.  The  king  and  queen  seated 
themselves  on  soft  cushions,  and  the  captain  was 
obliged  to  do  the  same. 

They  had  hardly  begun  to  eat,  however,  when  a 
vast  number  of  rats  and  mice  rushed  in  and 
helped  themselves.  The  captain  was  much  sur- 
prised and  asked  if  they  did  not  find  the  rats 
very  troublesome. 

^' Oh,  yes,'^  answered  the  king;  *^I  would  give 
half  of  my  possessions  to  be  freed  from  them. 
They  not  only  destroy  my  dinner,  as  you  see,  but 
they  come  to  my  chamber  and  disturb  me. " 

The  captain  jumped  for  joy,  for  he  remembered 
little  Whittington  and  his  cat;  and  he  told  the 
king  that  he  had  a  creature  on  board  the  ship 
that  would  kill  all  these  rats  and  mice. 


-«  179  9«- 


Now  it  was  the  king^s  turn  to  be  delighted. 
•* Bring  this  creature  to  me/'  he  cried;  "and  if 
she  will  do  what  you  say,  I  will  load  your  ship 
with  gold  and  jewels  in  exchange  for  her/' 

The  captain  pretended  that  he  did  not  wish  to 
part  with  the  cat,  and  told  his  majesty  that  when 
she  was  gone  the  rats  and  mice  might  destroy  the 
goods  in  the  ship ;  but  finally,  to  oblige  him,  he 
consented  to  bring  her 
to  the  palace. 


''  Run,  run ! ''  said  the  queen ;  **  I  am  in  a  hurry 
to  see  the  dear  creature." 

The  captain  hurried  to  his  vessel;  and  while 
he  was  gone,  another  dinner  was  prepared.  When 
he  returned,  the  table  was  covered  with  rats. 


-•e  180  !•- 

As  soon  as  the  cat  saw  them,  she  jumped  from 
the  captain^ s  arms,  and  in  a  few  minutes  killed 
many  of  the  rats  and  mice.  The  rest  fled  to  their 
holes  in  terror. 

The  king  and  queen  were  delighted  to  get  rid 
of  such  a  plague  so  easily,  and  wished  to  see  the 
creature  that  had  driven  them  away. 

The  captain  called,  ''  Pussy,  pussy,  pussy,"  and 
she  came  running  to  him.  He  handed  her  to  the 
queen,  but  she  was  at  first  afraid  to  touch  such 
a  furry  animal.  However,  when  the  captain 
stroked  the  cat  and  called,  ''Pussy,  pussy,'^  the 
queen  also  touched  her  and  said,  *' Putty,  putty,'' 
for  she  could  not  speak  English. 

The  captain  then  put  the  cat  on  the  queen's  lap, 
where  she  purred  and  sang  herself  to  sleep. 

The  king  wished  to  buy  the  cat  at  once.  First  he 
bought  the  whole  of  the  ship's  cargo ;  then  he  gave 
the  captain  ten  times  as  much  more  for  the  cat. 

The  captain  took  leave  of  the  king  and  queen, 
and  set  sail  the  next  day  for  England. 

One  morning  Mr.  Fitzwarren  had  just  seated 
himself  at  his  desk,  when  somebody  knocked  at 
the  door.     "  Who's  there? "  asked  the  merchant. 


-»8  181  8«- 

"A  friend/'  was  the  reply.  **I  come  to  bring 
you  good  news  of  your  ship  Unicorn,^ ^ 

The  merchant  opened  the  door,  and  there  stood 
the  captain  with  a  cabinet  of  jewels  and  a  bill  of 
lading. 

He  soon  told  Mr.  Fitzwarren  the  story  of  the 
cat,  and  showed  him  a  rich  present  which  the 
queen  had  sent  to  Dick. 

As  soon  as  the  merchant  heard  of  this,  he  called 
to  his  servants  :  — 

"  Go  bring  him  —  we  will  tell  him  of  his  fame; 
Pray  call  him  Mr.  Whittington  hy  name  J  ^ 

Mr.  Fitzwarren  now  proved  himself  to  be  a  good 
and  honest  man;  for  when  some  of  his  servants 
said  that  so  great  a  treasure  was  too  much  for 
Dick,  he  answered,  ''  I  would  not  deprive  him  of  a 
single  penny.'' 

He  then  sent  for  Dick,  who  was  scouring  kettles 
for  the  cook  and  was  very  dirty. 

The  merchant  ordered  a  chair  set  for  him,  and 
Dick  began  to  think  they  were  making  fun  of  him. 
''  Do  not  play  tricks  with  a  poor  simple  boy  like 
me,"  he  said.  '^Please  let  me  go  back  to  my 
work." 


■^  182  d^ 

*<  We  are  not  joking,  Mr.  Whittington,"  said  the 
merchant.  *'  The  captain  has  sold  your  cat  to  the 
king  of  a  foreign  land,  and  has  brought  you  in 
return  more  riches  than  I  possess  in  the  world.  ^^ 

Mr.  i'itzwarren  then  told  the  man  to  open  the 
box  of  jewels  and  display  the  treasure. 

Poor  Dick  was  so  happy  that  he  did  not  know 
what  to  say.  He  begged  his  master  to  take  a  part 
of  his  wealth,  since  he  owed  it  all  to  his  kindness. 

''No,  no,''  said  the  merchant;  "it  is  all  yours. 
I  have  no  doubt  that  you  will  use  it  well.'' 

Dick  next  asked  his  mistress,  and  then  little 
Alice,  to  accept  part  of  his  treasure,  but  they 
would  not  do  so. 

The  lad  was  too  kind-hearted,  however,  to  keep 
it  all  for  himself.  He  gave  a  present  to  the  cap- 
tain and  sailors,  and  to  each  of  Mr.  Fitz warren's 
servants,  not  even  forgetting  the  cross  cook. 

After  this,  the  merchant  advised  him  to  dress 
himself  like  a  gentleman,  and  invited  him  to  live 
in  his  house  till  he  could  provide  one  for  himself. 

Years  later,  when  Richard  Whittington  had 
grown  to  be  a  man,  and  was  very  rich  and  gener- 
ous, he  was  indeed  made  Lord  Mayor  of  London. 


NOTES  ON  THE  STORIES  AND  POEMS 

( To  he  read  by  teachers  and  pupils) 

Child  Life  in  Colonial  Days  describes  something  of  the  hab- 
its and  customs  of  the  quaint,  old-fashioned  little  folk  whose 
parents  sought  and  found  a  new  home  in  this  land  of  ours. 
The  difference  between  the  life  of  children  in  those  days  and 
that  of  to-day  is  very  striking,  and  our  own  advantages  cannot 
be  too  strongly  emphasized. 

An  Old-Fashioned  School  and  The  Pine-Tree  Shillings  are 
selected  and  adapted  from  "  Grandfather's  Chair,"  a  collection 
of  historical  facts  woven  into  the  form  of  short  stories  for 
children  by  Nathaniel  Hawthorne  (1804-1864),  a  celebrated 
American  author.  He  wrote  also  for  children  "  The  Snow- 
Image  "  and  "  Twice  Told  Tales,"  as  well  as  a  series  of  novels 
that  have  given  him  the  foremost  place  among  American 
novelists. 

The  Jack-o'-Lantem  and  Two  Brass  Kettles  are  true  stories 
which  illustrate  the  dangers  of  the  life  of  the  colonists  during 
the  wars  with  the  Indians,  and  the  bravery  of  the  women  and 
children  in  the  face  of  these  dangers.  These  two  incidents 
occurred  in  Massachusetts.  Many  similar  stories  are  found  in 
the  annals  of  each  of  the  thirteen  colonies. 

Boston  Boys  of  1776  is  based  on  historic  fact,  but  the 
exact  location  of  the  coast  which  was  destroyed  by  the  British 
soldiers  is  a  disputed  point.  Certain  it  is,  however,  that  the 
coast  was  destroyed,  and  that  the  boys  were  successful  in  their 
appeal  to  General  Gage  for  redress. 

Elizabeth  Zane.  This  story  is  true,  the  event  taking  place 
ua  a  small  town  in  Ohio.     Elizabeth  Zane  was  by  no  means  the 

184 


-»8  185  8«- 

only  girl  who  showed  courage  and  bravery  during  the  War  oi 
the  Revolution,  but  her  name  is  among  the  most  familiar. 

The  Land  of  Story  Books  and  The  Land  of  Nod  are  selected 
from  "  A  Child's  Garden  of  Verses  "  by  Robert  Louis  Steven- 
son (1850-1894).  Children  cannot  be  too  familiar  with  this 
book  and  with  the  charming  bits  of  verse  which  it  contains. 
Among  the  most  popular  of  these  are  "  My  Shadow,"  "  The 
Friendly  Cow,"  and  "  Bed  in  Summer." 

Indian  Children  describes  a  little  of  the  life  of  the  boys  and 
girls  who  lived  here  before  this  country  was  settled  by  the 
white  men,  and  therefore  before  the  Indians  learned  the  customs 
of  civilized  nations.  The  Indian  child  of  to-day  has  very  dif- 
ferent habits  and  surroundings. 

Pocahontas  is  the  most  striking  and  attractive  girl-figure  in 
the  recorded  history  of  the  Indian  race,  —  a  history  written 
mainly  by  the  enemies  of  the  Red  Man.  Her  personality  may 
serve  to  inform  the  child  that  the  Indians  were  not  without 
humane  traits,  despite  the  tendency  of  literature  to  emphasize 
their  ferocity. 

Seven  Times  Four.  This  poem,  by  Jean  Ingelow  (1820- 
1899),  forms  the  fourth  in  a  series  entitled  "  Songs  of  Seven." 
The  children  should  already  be  familiar  with  "Seven  Times 
One  "  and  "  Seven  Times  Two." 

The  North  Wind  and  the  Duck  and  Why  the  Mole  is  Blind 
are  selected  from  the  large  store  of  Indian  myths.  The  North 
American  Indians,  like  all  uncivilized  peoples,  had  a  habit  of 
explaining  the  facts  which  they  did  not  understand  by  means 
of  stories  which  were  handed  down  from  father  to  son.  The 
facts  that  the  mole  had  no  eyes  and  that  the  duck  lived  and 
thrived  in  the  cold  north  wind  when  its  icy  breath  drove  other 
birds  to  warmer  lands,  furnished  excellent  opportunity  for  the 
imagination  of  the  natives  of  our  continent. 


"*99  186  8*^ 

The  Last  Lesson  in  French  is  translated  from  the  French  of 
Alphonse  Daudet.  Alsace  and  Lorraine  are  two  provinces 
lying  on  the  border  between  France  and  Germany,  which  were 
for  many  years  disputed  territory,  seized  first  by  one  nation  and 
then  by  the  other.  When  Germany,  after  the  war  of  1870, 
took  possession  of  Alsace  (which  it  still  holds),  the  people  were 
obliged  to  conform  to  German  laws  and  customs.  This  selec- 
tion gives  a  touching  picture  of  one  of  the  results  of  the 
conquest. 

Incident  of  the  French  Camp  was  written  by  Robert 
Browning,  one  of  the  greatest  of  English  poets,  who  was  born 
in  England  in  1812  and  died  in  Italy  in  1889.  Almost  all  of 
his  poems  are  beyond  the  understanding  of  children,  but  they 
will  doubtless  remember  his  "Pied  Piper  of  Hamelin." 

Diamonds  and  Toads  is  translated  from  the  French  of  Charles 
Perrault  (1613-1688),  who  collected  and  wrote  out  the  folk- 
stories  of  France,  just  as  Andersen  and  Grimm  did  those  of 
Denmark  and  Germany.  It  is  interesting  to  note  the  similarity 
of  this  tale  to  the  German  story  entitled  "  Mother  Holle,"  and 
to  the  English  story  of  "Cinderella." 

Boys  and  Girls  of  Holland.  This  sketch  sets  before  the 
American  child  as  complete  a  contrast  to  his  own  life  and  sur- 
roundings as  can  well  be  imagined,  while  showing  that  the 
essential  interests  of  child  life  are  the  same  the  world  over. 

The  Leak  in  the  Dike  is  the  story  of  a  little  Dutch  hero,  who 
by  his  bravery  saved  the  land  of  Holland  from  being  flooded  by 
the  sea.  A  poem  by  Phoebe  Cary,  bearing  the  same  title,  tells 
the  story  in  verse. 

The  Storks,  The  Flax,  and  The  Little  Fir  Tree  were  written 
by  Hans  Christian  Andersen  (1805-1875),  a  Danish  author 
who  wrote  many  delightful  tales  which  have  been  translated 
for  the  children  of  all  nations.     Among  the  most  familiar  of 


^  187  8«- 

his  stories  are  "  The  Ugly  Duckling  "  and  "  The  Little  Match 
Girl." 

Easter  in  Germany.  The  legend  in  this  selection  has  some 
foundation  in  fact.  It  is  given  here  to  direct  attention  to  the 
custom  in  Germany  of  celebrating  Easter  Monday.  Stories  of 
the  same  festival  in  other  countries  are  also  interesting.  In  our 
own  land  the  principal  observance  of  the  day  is  at  Washington, 
where  the  children  invade  the  spreading  lawns  of  the  White 
House,  playing  games  with  colored  eggs. 

Mother  Holle  and  The  Straw,  the  Coal  and  the  Bean  were 
written  by  William  Grimm  (1786-1859),  who  collected  and 
wrote  out,  with  his  brother's  assistance,  many  of  the  folk-tales 
of  Germany.  It  was  a  saying  among  the  Germans,  when  it 
snowed,  that  Mother  Holle  was  shaking  her  feather  bed. 

Boys  and  Girls  of  Japan  gives  a  glimpse  into  the  home  life 
of  this  island  across  the  seas,  and  should  be  supplemented  by 
books  and  pictures  collected  by  teachers  and  pupils. 

The  Doll  Festival  and  The  Flag  Festival  are  not  the  only 
Japanese  holidays,  but  they  are  the  most  important  ones  for  the 
children,  and  they  occur  regularly  each  year,  to  the  delight  of 
the  wee  ones  of  this  "flowery  kingdom." 

The  Frog  Travellers  and  The  Ape  and  the  Crab  are 
Japanese  fables,  each  with  a  moral  which  is  not  difficult  to  find. 
Note  that  they  resemble  .^sop's  Fables  in  personifying  animals 
and  giving  them  human  traits,  in  order  to  teach  mankind  a 
lesson.  Compare  "The  Ape  and  the  Crab"  with  the  story  of 
"^  The  Fox  and  the  Crow." 

Richard  Whittington,  Lord  Mayor  of  London,  was  born  in 
1358  and  died  in  1423.  The  old  legend  which  describes  his  trip 
to  London  to  seek  his  fortune,  which  he  found  by  means  of  his 
cat,  must  not  be  taken  too  seriously,  as  there  is  not  much 
evidence  that  it  is  based  on  fact. 


VOCABULARY 


abode'  (a bod'),  residence;  dwelling 
place. 

a  buse'  (a  bus'),  ill  treatment. 

admire'  (admir'),  esteem. 

ad  ven'ture  (M  ven'tur),  fortune, 
happening. 

advise'  (ad  viz'),  counsel;  caution. 

al'phabet  (al'fabet),  letters  of  a 
language  arranged  in  order. 

Al'sace  (Sl'sSs),  a  province  in  Ger- 
many. 

amaze'ment  (amaz'ment),  astonish- 
ment ;  surprise. 

an'gry  (Jn'gry),  vexed;  provoked. 

anx'ious  (ank'shiis),  greatly  troubled. 

appear'  (apper'),  become  visible. 

ap  proach'  (ap  proch') ,  draw  near. 

arith'metic  (a  rith'me  tik),  theory 
of  numbers. 

as  sem'ble  (3,ssem'b'l),  meet;  come 
together. 

as  sist'ance  (^ssist'ans),  aid  ;  help. 

as  sure'  (a  shur'),  assert ;  promise. 

awten'tion  (at  ten'shun),  observant 
care. 

au'tumn  (a'tiim),  the  third  season  of 
the  year. 

bal'ance  (bai'ans),  keep  steady. 
bam  boo'  (bam  boo'),  a  tall  grass. 
bat'tledore'     (bSt't'l  dor'),     a     bat 

shaped  like  a  racquet. 
blast  (blast),  sudden  gust  of  wind. 


blaze  (blaz),  burning  with  a  bright 

flame. 
Brit'ish    (brit'ish),     inhabitants     of 

Great  Britain. 
bul'let  (bul'let),  a  small  leaden  ball. 
bul'letin  (bul'letin),  an  ofl&cial report. 

cab'in  (kab'in),  hut;  cottage. 

cab'i  net  (kab'i  net),  a  chest  provided 
with  drawers. 

ca  nal'  (ka  nSl'),  an  artificial  water 
way. 

captiv'ity  (kSp  tiv'i  ty),  confine- 
ment; imprisonment. 

cap'ture  (kSp'tur),  seize ;  take  by 
force. 

car 'go  (kar'go),  freight  of  a  ship. 

carp  (karp),  a  fish. 

cel'e  bra'tion  (sel'e  bra'shun),  a  cere- 
mony ;  a  festival. 

cer'tain  ly  (ser'tin  ly),  without  doubt. 

chat'ter  (chSt'ter),  shake  ;  strike  to- 
gether rapidly. 

chrys  an'the  mum  (kris  Sn'the  miim), 
a  flower. 

cit'izen  (sit'iz'n),  an  inhabitant  of  a 
city  or  town. 

clog  (klog),  a  kind  of  thick-soled 
shoe. 

clum'sy  (klum'zy),  awkward. 

collect'  (kollekt'),  gather;  recover. 

CO  lo'nl  al  (ko  lo'ni  al),  belonging  to  a 
colony. 


188 


■^  189  8«- 


col'onist  (k61'6mst),  inhabitant  of 
colony. 

comb  (kom),  to  card. 

com  pan 'ion  (k6m  p2,n'yun) ,  a  com- 
rade ;  a  mate. 

com  plain'  (kom  plan') ,  find  fault. 

complete'  (komplef),  finish;  end. 

com'po  si'tion  (kom'po  zish'un),  a 
short  essay. 

comi'rade  (kom'rad),  intimate  com- 
panion. 

confu'sion  (konfa'zhun),  tumult, 
disorder. 

consent'  (kSnsSnf),  agree;  give 
assent. 

consid'er  (konsTd'er),  reflect,  think. 

con  tent'ed  (kon  tent'ed),  satisfied. 

cot'tage  (kot'taj) ,  a  small  house. 

cour'age  (kur'aj),  bravery;  valor. 

crac'kle  (krSk'kl),  snap. 

crouch  (krouch),  bend;  stoop. 

crumb  (krum),  morsel;  small  frag- 
ment. 

cu'rious  (ku'rius),  strange. 

cush'ion  (koosh'un),  a  pillow. 

dan'ger  ous  (dan'jgr  us),  full  of  risk  ; 
unsafe. 

daugh'ter  (da'ter),  a  female  child. 

dawn  (dan),  grow  light;  appear. 

decide'  (d^sld'),  resolve;  determine. 

dec'orate  (d6k'6rat),  adorn;  orna- 
ment. 

defeat'  (d^fef),  overthrow. 

del'icate  (d^l'Ik^t),  dainty. 

de  light'ftil  (d^  lit'ful),  pleasing  ; 
charming. 

depend'  (d^p6nd'),  rely. 

deprive'  (deprlv'),  take  away. 

destroy'  (d^stroi'),  pull  down;  kill; 
lay  waste. 


devote'  (d^vof),  set  apart;  give  up 

to. 
dif  fi  cult  (dif'fl  kiilt),  hard  ;  not  easy. 
dike  (dik),  a  wall  of  stone  or  earth. 
din'gy  (din'jy),  dusky  ;  dull. 
dis'ap  pear'  (dis'^p  per'),  vanish  from 

sight. 
dis'con  tent'ed  (dis'k6nt6nt'6d),  dis- 

satisfied  ;  unhappy. 
dis  cov'er  (dis  kuv'er) ,  espy  ;  find  out. 
dislike'  (dislik'),  hatred;  aversion. 
dismay'  (dis ma'),  trouble. 
dis  miss'  (dis  mis'),  send  away. 
dis  play'  (dis  pla'),  arrange  ;  show. 
dls'tance    (dis'tans),   space    between 

two  objects ;  remoteness. 
dive  (div),  plunge  head  first. 
drown  (drown),  suffocate  in  water. 

ea'ger  ly  (e'ger  ly),  keenly  ;  with  zeal. 

earth'en  (erth"n),  made  of  earth ; 
made  of  clay. 

eas'ily  (ez'ily),  without  difficulty; 
with  ease. 

ed'u  cate  (ed'u  kat) ,  cultivate. 

E'gypt  (e'jipt),  a  country  in  Africa. 

el'der  (el'der),  older. 

em  broid'er  (em  broid'er),  decorate 
with  needlework. 

em'peror  (em'pergr),  a  sovereign  ;  a 
ruler. 

em'press  (6m'pres),  a  woman  who 
rules  over  an  empire. 

en  camp'  (en  k3,mp'),  go  into  camp. 

en  dure'  (6n  dur'),  bear  with  patience. 

en'emy  (en'emy),  foe. 

en'ergy  (en'er  jy),  force  ;  power. 

en'gine  (en'jTn),  a  machine. 

eutire'ly  (6n  tir'ly),  wholly;  com- 
pletely. 

erect'  (^r6kt'),  build;  raise:  setup. 


-^  190  Q^ 


er'rand  (6r'rand) ,  an  order  ;  a   mes- 


es  cape'   (6skap'),   avoid;  slip  away. 

es  tab'lish  (6s  tab'lish),  form;  organize. 

exact'ly  (ggzakt'ly),  precisely;  ac- 
curately. 

ex'cellent  (6k's6llent),  superior. 

ex  change'  (6ks  chanj'),  to  change  for 
something  else. 

ex  claim'  (6ks  klam'),  cry  out. 

ex  haust'ed  (6gz  ^st'dd),  weakened  ; 
wearied. 

ex  plain'  (gksplan'),  make  plain  ;  un- 
fold. 

famil'iar  (famll'ySr),  intimate;  well 
acquainted. 

far'thing  (far'thing),  an  English  coin 
equal  to  one-fourth  of  a  penny. 

fas'ten  (fas"n),  unite;  tie;  make 
firm. 

fear'less  (f6r'16s),  without  fear  ;  cou- 
rageous. 

fer'ule  (f^r'ul),  cane  ;  ruler. 

fes'tival  (fes'tival),  a  celebration  ;  a 
feast. 

flax  (flaks),  a  plant  from  which  linen 
is  made. 

flint  (flint),  a  hard  stone  used  for 
striking  fire. 

fluff 'y  (fliif'y),  downy. 

for'eign  (for'm),  not  native;  alien. 

for'tu  nate  (for'ti  nit),  lucky ;  having 
good  fortune. 

fur'nish  (fur'nish),  fit  with  fur- 
niture. 

fur'ni  ture  (ftlr'nl  tftr),  outfit ;  equip- 
ment. 

gar 'den  er  (gar'd'nSr),  one  who  cul- 
tivates a  garden. 


gild  (gild),  cover  with  gold. 

glare  (gl§-r),  stare  ;  gaze  fiercely. 

glee'fully  (gle'full^),  happily;  joy- 
fully. 

glit'tering  (glTt'tSring),  sparkling; 
glistening. 

glo'ri  ous  (glo'rius),  delightful. 

gnaw  (na),  bite  off  little  by  little. 

grad'ually  (grad'u  al  ly),  step  by 
step  ;  slowly. 

grate'ful  (grat'ful),  pleased ;  thank- 
ful. 

greed'y  (gred'y),  selfish. 

greet  (gret),  salute  ;  address. 

grum'ble  (grum'bl),  scold  ;  complain. 

guitar'  (gitar'),  a  musical  instru- 
ment. 

har'vest  ing  (har'v6st  ing),  gathering. 

hearth  (harth),  part  of  floor  just  be- 
fore a  fire. 

hel'met  (hgl'met),  defensive  cover  for 
the  head. 

her'on  (hSr'un),  a  long-necked  wad- 
ing bird. 

his'tory  (his'tory),  a  narrative  of 
past  events. 

Hol'land  (hol'land),  a  country  in 
Europe. 

hom'iny  (hom'iny),  maize  hulled 
and  ground. 

Im  ag'ine  (im  S,j'in),  suppose ;  fancy  ; 
think. 

iin  me'di  ate  ly  (im  me'di  it  1^) ,  at 
once  ;  without  delay. 

im  pos'sible  (im  pos'si  b'l),  not  pos- 
sible. 

In  elude'  (in  klfid'),  contain  ;  enclose. 

in'con  ven'ient  (in'kon  v6n'yent),  not 
convenient;  unfit. 


^  191  B«- 


in  dus'tri  ous  (In  dus'tr!  us),  busily 
occupied. 

jeal'ous  (jel'us),  envious,  suspicious. 
jew'el  (ju'el) ,  a  precious  stone ;  a  gem. 
jour'ney  (jur'ny),  travel, 

ker'nel  (ker'ngl),  a  grain  of  corn  or 

grain  ;  seed. 
Ki  o'to  (ke  o'to),  a  city  of  Japan. 
knoll  (nol),  a  hillock. 

land'scape    (ISnd'skap),   a    view    of 

rural  scenery. 
lan'guage   (ISn'gwaj),   expression  of 

thought. 
learn'ed  (l6rn'ed),  wise  ;  possessed  of 

knowledge. 
length'en    (lgngth"n),    make    long; 

extend. 
llb'erty  (llb'erty),  freedom. 
lis'teu  (lis"n),  hearken;  give  ear  to. 
loaf  (lof ) ,  a  portion  of  bread  or  cake 

baked  in  one  mass. 
lone'ly  (lon'ly),  sad;  forlorn. 
Ijorraine'    (lor ran'),   a  province   in 

Germany. 
luck'ily  (luk'ily),  fortunately. 
lull'a  by  (lul'a  bl),  a  cradle  song. 
lus'ti  ly  (liis'ti  ly),  vigorously  ;  strong- 
ly. 
lux'u  ry    (liik'shury),  extravagance; 

a  dainty. 

mag'a  zine^  (mS-g'a  zen'),  a  pamphlet. 

maj'esty  (mS,j'6sty),  a  title  of  ad- 
dress ;  royalty. 

man'u  fac'ture  (mS-n'ti  f3,k'tftr),  to 
make ;  to  produce. 

mem'o  ry  (mem'6  ry),  recollection  ; 
power  of  remembrance. 


mer'chant  (mSr'chant),  one  who  buys 

and  sells. 
mistake'    (mistak'),    an    error;    a 

blunder. 
mold  (mold),  form  ;  shape. 
mul'ti  pli  ca'tion  (mul'ti  pli  ka'shiin), 

act  of  increasing  in  number. 

nat'u rally  (nSt'tl ral ly) ,  ordinarily. 
neigh'bor    (na'ber),   one    who    lives 

near  another. 
net' tie  (ngt't'l),  a  plant  covered  with 

stinging  hairs. 
no'tice  (no'tis),  observe  ;  remark. 
nnmb  (num),  deadened;  powerless  to 

feel. 

oblige'  (oblij'),  compel;  force. 

oc  ca'sion  al  ly  (okka'zhun  al  ly),  at 

times ;  at  random. 
offend'er  (of  fend'er),  one  who  gives 

offence. 
O'za  ka  (o'za  ka),  a  city  in  Japan. 

pack'age  (pak'^j),  a  bundle. 

pad'dle  (pad'd'l),  to  row. 

paiu'ful  (pan'ful),  distressing;  full  of 
pain. 

pa  poose'  (pa  poos'),  an  Indian  baby. 

pat'ten  (p3,t't6n),  a  wooden  shoe  ;  a 
clog. 

pave  (pav),  cover  with  blocks  of 
wood  or  stone. 

peas'ant  (p6z'ant),  a  person  living  in 
the  country. 

perch  (perch),  to  alight ;  to  settle. 

per  mls'sion  (per  mish'um),  consent. 

pi'geon  (pTj'un),  a  dove. 

plague  (plag),  severe  trouble ;  epi- 
demic. 

plen'ty  (plen'ty),  abundance. 


^^192  9«- 


Plym'outh    (plTm'ttth),   a   town    in 

Massachusetts. 
pol'ish  (pol'ish),   make  smooth  and 

glossy. 
polite'  (p6  lit'),  well-bred;  courteous. 
pos  ses'sion  (pozzgsh'un),  property. 
pow'er  ful  (pou'er  ful),  strong ;  full  of 

power. 
pris'oner  (priz"ner),  a  captive. 
pro  fes'sion     (pro  fesh'un),     calling  ; 

occupation. 
prom'ise  (prom'is),  assure  ;  agree.      . 
prop'er    (pr5p'Sr),    suitable ;    appro- 
priate. 
proud  (proud),  haughty. 
Prus'sian  (prush'an),   an  inhabitant 

of  Prussia. 
pump'kin  (pump'kin),  a  vegetable. 
pun'ish  (pun'ish),  chastise. 
pyr'a  mid  (pir'a  mid),  a  massive  stone 

structure  with  sloping  sides. 

ques'tion  (kw6s'chun),  ask;  inquire. 

rasp'ber  ry  (rSz'bgr  ry),  a  red  berry. 

reb'el  (r6b'61),  one  who  resists  author- 
ity or  law. 

recite'  (resit'),  relate;  tell. 

refresh'  (refresh'),  restore;  revive. 

re  mind'  (r^  mind'),  recall ;  put  in 
mind. 

repeat'  (r^pef),  say  again  ;  retell. 

require'  (r^kwir'),  oblige;  order; 
need. 

re  spect'ful  ly  (r^  spSkt'ful  ly),  with 
respect. 

rib'bon  (rib'bun),  a  strip  of  silk,  satin, 
or  velvet. 

ri'fle  (ri'fl),  a  firearm. 

ruffle  (ruf'f'l),  draw  up  in  gathers. 

rush'es  (riish'gz),  underbrush. 


rus'tle  (rus"l),  shake  with  murmur* 
ing  sound. 

sal'a  ry  (sSl'a  ry),  recompense ;  wages. 

sam'pler  (sS,m'plgr),  a  piece  of  em- 
broidery. 

sa-n'dal  (san'dal),  a  kind  of  shoe. 

sat'is  fy  (sat'isfi),  please  ;  content. 

sav'age  (sav'aj),  an  uncivilized  being. 

sa'yona'ra  (sa'yun  a'ra),  good-by. 

scls'sors  (siz'zerz),  a  small  pair  of 
shears. 

scold  (skold),  chide  ;  rebuke. 

scoop  (skoop),  dig  out ;  hollow  out. 

scorch  (sk6rch),  singe  ;  shrivel. 

scream  (skrem),  cry  loudly. 

sep'a  rate  ly  (sep'a  rat  ly),  each  by  it- 
self ;  apart. 

ser'pent  (ser'pent),  a  snake ;  a  viper. 

serv'ice  (sgrv'is),  duty  done ;  aid. 

set'tler  (s6t'tler),  one  who  settles  in  a 
new  colony. 

se  vere'ly  (se  ver'ly),  strictly;  sharply. 

shad'ow  (shad'6),  a  reflected  image. 

shel'ter  (sh61'ter),  cover  ;  protect. 

shil'ling  (shil'ling),  an  English  coin 
worth  about  twenty-four  cents. 

shiv'er  (shiv'er),  shake,  tremble. 

shut'tle  cock'  (shut't'l  k5k'),  a  piece 
of  cork  in  one  end  of  which  feath- 
ers are  stuck. 

sluice  (slus) ,  a  flood-gate. 

snare  (snar),  a  net ;  a  noose ;  a  spring. 

spear  (sper),  a  weapon. 

spec'tacles  (spek'tak'lz),  a  pair  of 
lenses  set  in  a  frame  adjusted  to 
the  eyes. 

spin'dle  (spTn'd'l),  a  part  of  a  spin- 
ning wheel. 

splen'dor  (spl6n'der),  glory;  richness 

stealth'!  ly  (st61th'i  ly),  secretly. 


^  193  8«- 


stilt  (stilt),  a  pole  ;  a  crutch. 
stretch  (stretch),  extend  ;  draw  out. 
stroke  (strok),  smooth;  pat. 
sub  trac'tion  (sub  trak'shun),  act  of 

taking  a  part  from  the  whole. 
Suc'co  tash  (suk'ko  tash),  a  food  made 

of  corn  and  beans. 
sud'den  ly      (sud'den  ly),      quickly  ; 

abruptly. 
suggest'  (siigjgst'),  hint;  advise. 
surren'der  (sur ren'der),  yield;  give 

up. 
swoll'en  (swol"n),  swelled, 
sword  (sord),  a  weapon. 

tal'Ior  (ta'ler).  One  who  makes  outer 

garments. 
tat'ters  (tSt'terz) ,  shreds  ;  rags. 
tel'e  graph  (t61'egraf),  an  apparatus 

for  transmitting  sounds. 
tinniest  (ti'niest),  smallest. 
tongue  (tung),  language. 
tram'ple  (tram'p'l),  tread  under  foot. 
trav'el  (trSv'el),  journey. 
tric'kle    (trik'k'l),   flow    in    a    small 

stream. 
tru'ant  (tru'ant),  one  who  stays  away 

without  leave. 

un'der  stood'  (lin'der  stood'),  compre- 
hended. 

un  for'tu  nate  ly  (un  fSr'tu  nSt  ly), 
unluckily. 

u'ni  form  (u'ni  fdrm),  a  dress  worn 
by  members  of  an  order. 


un  u'su  al  (un  u'zhA  al),  not  common  j 
rare. 

va  ca'tion  (vaka'shun),  an  interval; 

a  holiday. 
val'iant   (vSl'yant),    strong ;    brave  ; 

courageous. 
veg'e table  (vej'e tab'l),  a  plant  to 

be  eaten. 
ven'ture    (ven'tur),    chance;    event; 

hazard. 
verb  (verb),  a  word  denoting  action 

or  being. 
verse  (vgrs),  poem  ;  stanza. 
vex  (veks),  annoy  ;  tease. 
vic'tory  (vik'tory),  triumph. 
vil'lager  (vil'lajer),  one  who  lives  in 

a  village. 
Virgln'ia    (verjin'li),   one    of    the 

United  States. 
vis'it  (viz'it),  call. 
vive  (vev),  live^ 
vol'un  teer'  (vol'un  ter'),  offer. 
voy'age  (voi'aj),  journey  ;  travel. 

wam'pum  (wom'piim),  small  shells 
used  as  money  by  Indians. 

wan'der  (won'der),  stray. 

whirl  (hwerl),  turn  rapidly. 

whis'per  (hwis'per),  speak  in  a  low 
voice. 

with'er  (with'er),  shrivel ;  fade. 

won'der  ing  (wun'der  ing),  thinking  ; 
speculating. 

yarn  (yarn),  a  woollen  thread. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
BERKELEY 

Return  to  desk  from  which  borrowed. 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


oi  ii'iay^;i;, 

1  Dec'57GRi 
RECD  LD 

NOV  30  1357 


<^EC'D  Lb 


DEC  2  7  "63 -12 


M 


LD  21-100m-9,'48XB399sl6)476 


YC  01290 


./ 


241599 


